


Warmth of the Sun

by displayheartcode



Series: Warmth of the Sun [7]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, F/M, Healing, POC Potter, Rule 63
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-29
Updated: 2016-06-08
Packaged: 2018-02-06 18:23:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 21,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1867809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/displayheartcode/pseuds/displayheartcode
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The hardest thing to do after a war is to wake up. </p><p>The Battle of Hogwarts is over. There is now a school that needs to be put back together, families that need to be reunited, and people that need to come home. </p><p>101 one-shots of them getting better and starting their lives again.</p><p>HIATUS.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. At First Light

**Author's Note:**

> Me? JK Rowling? Sure, I'm bet that she's an American with brown hair that is going to college soon. Totally. 
> 
> Anyway, this has been in dire need of a rewrite. There will be continuity, consistent grammar, and (hopefully) improved writing. The original version is still on my FFN account, and I will post this newer version on there on some later date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been meaning to write this all over again.

Halley felt something stir against her.

Through the hazy labyrinth of sleep she tried to direct her way out, heavy limbs struggled to move, and stiff muscles protested. One of her hands became tangled in something soft,  and opening an eye; she was momentarily surprised to see a striking shade of red near her head. He was facing away from her and haphazardly taking up a side of the bed. The other part of his pillow was streaked with dirt and some blood.

Halley then opened both eyes. _Am I dreaming?_ she thought, half-expecting to wake up in the cold tent in a dark forest. Except she was greeted with the familiar red velvet curtains of her bed at Hogwarts. A bed that was also occupied by someone else. Now would be the part of the dream that she would wake up from. She would be back in the tent with tensions high, and not at Hogwarts with her ex-boyfriend being so close.

Except, Halley looked at her shabby robes that were stained and bloodied and torn; and then at his sleeping form in which he was snoring. Her dreams usually involved him awake. She tried to push herself up in a sitting position, but a dull pain in her chest forced her back down. That acted as a wake up call, making her feel aware of her injuries that she'd sustained throughout the year. From her sore leg muscles to the burns from the break-in, Halley could only grimace as she got reacquainted with her very much alive body.

(In the back of her mind, the solid dirt ground of the forest stayed as she felt death surround her and ready to greet her as an old friend.)

The room felt colder and Halley had to curl her hands hard enough to almost draw blood from her palms. _Alive,_ she reminded herself. She pictured Hogwarts untouched by war, the Burrow filled with happy people, more scenes from her life that brought her life that were filled with her friends. _You're alive, Potter. It better stay like that for a while._ Halley painfully remembered the rest: the chaos of the final part of the battle, gloating almost recklessly to Riddle about what had gone wrong for him, and crying. She remembered sobbing after everything once the event had settled in her mind.

The faces of the dead were painted on the inside of her eyelids, but Halley wanted to keep her eyes open for now. She needed the dead to stay away.

She pushed her tangled and dirty hair back, wishing greatly for a shower and— when running her tongue over her teeth—a toothbrush. Yes, getting patched up should be the first of her priorities. Although...

Careful not to wake him, Halley reached to turn Gid on his back. His head flopped to one side and his snoring subsided. She had to look closely at his face because she couldn't find her glasses. He appeared unharmed except for a half-healed gash on his cheek. There were specks of dried blood intermingling with his numerous freckles, but Halley couldn't see anymore wounds. Reassured that at least one of them was physically okay, she felt better with the idea of leaving the bed.

Halley pushed the curtains away to find her glasses neatly folded and her wand on the bedside table. She tapped her wand (feeling the jolt that it was _her_ wand and not someone else's) on the glasses to make the grime vanish and put them on.

"Hey," he whispered. "What are you doing up?"

Slowly, Halley turned around and saw that Gid was awake. He was on his side, the sheets kicked to the bottom of the bed and the heavy duvet half off.

"Shower," she said, tasting the bad breath and blood in her mouth.

There was something very strange about imagining an event so many times and then to actually experience it. She would imagine their reunion very differently than the one that had happened last night with her pleading him to stay and the sobbing. In her imagination, they would both be awake and elated and everything would be better. Instead Halley felt tired and unsure with the large expanse of time that was now ahead of her.

"Are you in pain?" he asked.

Halley opened her mouth to automatically say no, but she shook her head side by side. It wasn't much, but she certainly felt the abrasions from the fight.

Gid stood on his knees and searched the pockets in his robe to find a glass vial that was slightly cracked on one facet. "Dittany," he explained. "Always good to have some around. The Carrows…" The rest was left unsaid.

She held her hands out and he applied the purple potion on her bloodied knuckles and small cuts that grazed her palms. His hands were different now, she noticed. They were the same fingers with the wide knuckles with the freckles, but there were scars with his callouses.

"And you? Do you need anything?" Halley asked when he finished. She flexed her fingers, feeling a cramp in her right hand.

"I went to Pomfrey before I checked on you," Gid said. He brushed his shaggy hair out of his eyes and he was staring at her. "That can't be everything, yeah?" His voice was softer.

Halley felt the bruise on her chest. "Nothing too serious." She got out of bed and Conjured a towel with her wand. The magic felt as warm and familiar as it did before. "Right. Shower."

"Mhm." He rearranged himself on the bed and was watching her. "Hey, Halley?"

"Yeah?" She wasn't even halfway to the door.

"Hi," Gid said. His Adam's apple bobbed and he raised his hand in a small wave. "I never did got to greet you, now did I?"


	2. Not Alone at All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rewritten of a past chapter, an attempted swimming lesson, and, as usual, fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by Comes and Goes (In Waves) by Greg Laswell. 
> 
> I will write more once my laptop is here. In the meantime, enjoy reading and and spotting the Doctor Who references.

There was stillness during the first month since the war ended. It was as if the world was having a hard time realising that the bloodshed was over, that people could be free again. The weather had gotten lighter since then, a proverbial winter ending and a time of summer beginning. A time of change.

There was a creek that passed through the Burrow's property. It was a small thing, very narrow and clustered with rocks on the beds, but it was deep enough to give even a full-grown wizard a feeling of displacement. All the Weasley children were taught how to swim in the creek. It was filled with memories of children jumping, splashing, and of young laughter. In the winter it would ice over and be perfect for some small-time ice-skating. Then the ice would break off when spring came and gently warmed up in the sunshine. The happy coming of summer made the water gurgle and slosh around a small mound of earth; an old tree swayed nearby, and a frayed strand of rope followed its movements.

Gid knelt by the water and checked to see if the temperature was warm enough. "It's fine," he told Halley. He stood up and turned around to properly speak to her. "Do you have any more excuses?"

It was for the past week or so that she had been making up excuses to not wanting to swim. None of them were very good, and most were very thin. It had taken some effort on his part, but she'd agreed on the condition that after the lesson he would practice duelling with her. 

"Wait, I have one more," she said with a small smile.

Gid crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Really?"

"Crocodiles. Or alligators. I keep forgetting which is more dangerous."

"Why," Gid asked for no particular reason, "would there be a crocodile in a small creek?

"Baby crocodiles."

"Halley, that's…" He struggled for the right words. "That's the saddest one I've heard from you. I'm almost ashamed."

Halley fought to keep a dry smile off her face. "Then maybe we should abandon this lesson for some other time?"

Gid pretended to think about it. "Nope. Too bad. I'm going to teach you how to swim."

"That's not fair."

"Oh, please." He held out his hand. "Are you, an incredibly foolish Gryffindor, that scared of the some water?"

The (in)famous Gryffindor courage felt bruised from that comment. Halley dropped her glasses to the ground, stomped pass him, and into the creek. She stood near the banks so that the slightly chilled water only came up to her knees. The large shirt she wore billowed, and the edges grew darker with the water. "See? I'm in the water. Happy?" She scowled as she faced him, unable to read his expression without her glasses. 

Her answer was a loud splash. She screamed and threw her hands up; the water collectively grew into a small wave and drenched her. Gid's red hair popped up for breath, and he doggy-paddled to her. He stumbled as he stood up on the weak settlement. "You need to be in the water, git. Not waddling."

Halley opened her mouth to speak, but was momentary speechless. The monster in her chest stirred, interested in seeing him stand so close to her. It was a pleasing sight to see him wet, shirtless, and with the sun falling around him. Even if he did looked more like a blob without her glasses, she was content to keep looking. The last time she'd seen him without a shirt was the summer before Sixth Year, and he'd been trying to cajole her into swimming back then, too. Now it was two years later and it wasn't just height that had changed...

"Halley? Earth to Potter?" Gid snapped his fingers in front of her face. "You can stop ogling now."

Halley shook herself out of her stupor. "I was not," she declared firmly, "ogling at you. I was wondering what happened to your shirt." 

He pointed to the riverbed where Halley squinted to see a lumpy shape of cotton laid discarded.

There was a brief moment of awkward silence.

"To be swimming," said Gid. "You have to be in your swimming costume."

Halley looked at her shirt that covered said costume. "I think I'm fine like this."

"Halley."

"No. I'm quite fine." She wrapped her arms around her, slightly shivering. 

"Hey, I'm willing to walk around without my shirt for this." He held his arms apart, and a Weasley-red blush started to crawl up his face. "All in front of you, might I add. And I get it, you don't like your scars, but no one likes having them, either."

"We all came out as a mess, didn't we?" Halley asked a moment later. Her arms dropped to her sides. 

"Life's a mess, you're a mess I'm a mess, everything's a mess," Gid said. "I think that's how life is after a war, everyone is lost and confused and we don't know what to do next except to hold onto the nearest person and hope for the best."

"I was hoping for something more optimistic." 

"And I was hoping that something blunt would enter that thick head of yours quicker." 

"That's usually the case." Halley looked down the path of the river, watching it twist and turn in the side of the mountain. She thought back to her dreams and nightmares. The monster in her chest receded as the gloomier feelings came back. "How long do you think it will take to become less of a mess? Because every time I get dressed or look in a mirror, I see the scars and I remember, and it doesn't go away, at least not for me. My world has been ripped from under my feet but everything feels still." She made little splashes in the water as she moved. "I should feel different, except all I feel is—"

"Exhausted?" Gid guessed. Halley nodded and her shoulders slumped from letting the weight off of her shoulders. "You know, for the whole life's a mess, word ripping under your feet change, I think there could be worst than feeling exhausted."

"I know." Halley closed her eyes and willed herself not to think of those darker moments. She shrugged once more and moved to sit down on the riverbank with her head in her hands. She felt terribly exhausted again. "I just want my life to make sense for once."

He sat down next to her, his feet floating in the water. "For what it's worth, I think you've been handling it well."

"No, I'm not," she mumbled. "You said it, we're all bloody messes. I'm the messiest mess there is."

"Now that last part I didn't say," Gid frowned. "Honest, you're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for. You have to at least believe that. Can I?" He held his arm out that she allowed to hug her. He tugged her closer and she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"I'm tired of being strong," she said.

"Then hold onto me," he said. "I think we can get through this together."


	3. Chocolate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As usual: Fluff and something to eat or drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll look this over in the morning and I'll try to write another chapter or two before college starts. Sorry for the long wait, but procrastination is determined to win this summer. 
> 
> My nonexistent lawyer would like to remind me that I don't own Harry Potter.

Halley’s body jerked as she woke.

Opening her eyes, she half expected to see yellow painted walls and not the blue ones of Beatrice’s old room. The rooming arrangement hadn’t changed when everyone had returned to the Burrow, everyone was more or less sleeping in their old rooms, but Halley had chose to sleep in one of the older bedrooms, claiming that it would be better if there was no one near to wake up with her nightmares.

Except it wasn’t a grisly nightmare. A part of her mind went back to the dream, almost imagining what it would be like if her birthday had gone differently…but dreams like those were rare and welcoming throughout those months of hiding and fighting.

 _Chocolate,_ she thought, kicking her sheets away. _I need chocolate._

Slipping on her robe, Halley crept down the several creaky flights of stairs, and went to go make her a cup of much needed hot chocolate. The past few years of having her summers at the Burrow meant that she could now move along the house very well in the dark. Even without her glasses.

The kitchen was dark and looked very different without the delicious food being cooked, or Mrs Weasley busying herself with the pots and pans. Weak moonlight entered through the windows, giving the room an almost ghostly appearance by washing the colours out. 

And when holding the mug filled with hot milk was when Halley bumped into someone from behind.

Surviving a war only had so many consequences—and constant vigilance was the least of it. Everyone in the Burrow had a healthy sense of paranoia now; even more someone would leave the safety of the wards. Halley had tried going to Diagon Alley only a week ago, but had found the bustling amount of people and activities almost too much. She had to retreat to the shop to collect herself before returning to the Burrow.

And just like that, Halley dropped the mug and drew her wand only to find herself also at wandpoint.

“Shit,” Gid said. “Shit, shit, shit.”

“Ow!” Halley hissed. She dropped her wand and clutched her bleeding foot. Her mug had to fall and shatter like that. “What was that for?”

“I didn’t see you,” he said. He waved his wand and the puddle of hot chocolate and shards of ceramic vanished. “I’m so sorry—here, let me.” Gid helped her to the kitchen counter. “Nightmare again?”

Halley sat on the counter and she tensed as Gid touched the large cut on her foot. “Not really,” she muttered. “And you?” 

Gid raised his head and she had a hard time reading his expression without her glasses. “Some,” he said. He pointed his wand at the cut and painfully red skin and spoke a soft charm. Halley muttered some curses as the healing process began. “I’m still not good at this,” he warned her belatedly.

“I’ve noticed.” Halley flexed her foot, admiring her new scar. “But I’ve had worse.” 

Gid rose to his feet and she felt very aware that she was wearing an old robe and a vest that she had bought several years ago. “It was a nice dream?” The exhaustion on his face changed to something more wistful. Halley wondered how bad his dreams were.

She thought back to the dream and vividly recalled the memories of her birthday mingling with imagination. A ‘what if’ if Rory had not interrupted and they were allowed to have one moment before more war was spilled into their lives. “It was,” she said.

A corner of Gid’s mouth tilted upwards. “That’s it? You want to keep those dreams of playing Pro Quidditch all to yourself?”

“It wasn’t that,” said Halley. She tucked one leg under the other. Determined to change the topic, she asked: “I take it that yours wasn’t about being in the box seats for a Harpies match?”

“Can we just talk about Quidditch? It’s nicer conversational material than horrifying nightmares.”

“You would be doing the same to me,” Halley. She took in his appearance and saw the heavy shadows under his eyes and the tired lines on his face. She clearly wasn’t the only one that was having trouble sleeping. “Come on, if it was me having the nightmare then you would be making me open up over some hot chocolate. She unfolded one leg and nudged his knee with her toes. “What do you say?”

“That offer makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.” Gid sat down in a chair and watched as she got the bottle of milk and chocolate out. “You seriously didn’t dream about Quidditch?”

Halley snorted. She waved her wand over the pan and the milk began to boil and release steam. “Keep that up and you’ll never find out _.” Hopefully, that will be the case,_ she thought. The heavy bar of chocolate melted in the milk, and the rich scent reached her nose, calming her senses. Soon she conjured two mugs and poured the hot drink in them. “Sorry for having you at wandpoint.” Halley Levitated the mugs to the table and took the seat next to him.

Gid shrugged and cradled the mug in his large hands. “At least you didn’t jinx me. I would have jinxed you back.” There was a small pause. “How’s your eyesight without those specs?”

“You look like one of those weird paintings with bright colours but no details. Other than that it’s fantastic.” Halley squinted to see his face. She could make out the shape of his features, his freckles, even the shadows under his eyes, but that was when she noticed how close to his face she was. 

“Is this when the staring contest starts?” Gid met her gaze. His eyes were dark and unblinking, but his ears were turning pink.

“You’re distracting me,” Halley murmured. “Stop it.”


	4. Show Me the Best in Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another rewritten of an old chapter, and the things being revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hand spasticity, you suck when I can't find my stress ball. I'll look this over again later because my hands don't like me right now. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone that's been reading so far. I'll be ever so glad to see reviews, too. I like to know what you people like, and sometimes even with suggestions or request. 
> 
> Song used was Dancers in the Dust by Calla

Gid couldn't place the right words to describe how he felt that month after the war ended. It was a mixture of many emotions that mostly left him numb and confused. But most of all were the questions that he had: Like how did Halley actually survive the Killing Curse? What made Riddle to hard to kill? And what the hell happened to those three that year? He wanted to bombard them all with questions, but there never seemed a good moment. He would have to be patient, and he could live with that for a little longer. 

After all, there were nicer things to think about. One was how Halley was curled up in the hammock with him. It was becoming a regular occurrence for the both of them. It was usually the same position: With Gid sprawled out, and Halley resting soundly on top of him. It was very innocent, and even peaceful with the hammock swinging. It was an easy way to drift off into nonsensical thoughts and to just lay there.

Gid was more than half-asleep when Halley woke him. She tentatively stopped the swinging and pushed herself up, accidentally digging her knee in his side. Whispering an apology, she moved herself so that her head was under his chin, and their knees touching. Halley was facing him, her eyes were half-closed and he didn’t mind much that her glasses were digging into his chest. Gid welcomed the extra warmth and weight, the feel of her skin and scent of her hair sent him spiralling into more dreams. 

“Gid?” she murmured. “What are you thinking?”

He peeled himself away from more thoughts. “How nice this is, you, nothing much. You?” He breathed in the scent of her hair. Irises, her hair smelled like the kind that his great aunt Muriel would grow on her trellises. The same scent in Amortentia he’d found out during a detention with Slughorn. 

“That my birthday is coming up, and I don’t know how I feel about that,” Halley said.

“What?” Gid said. He struggled to remember what the date was and how many days were left. “Um. It’s better than the alternative, right?”

She spoke suddenly in a hoarse voice. "I sometimes forget how young we really are. I wish at times that we could…start it all over. Maybe I could have done something different."

Gid opened an eye, and then both. He wiggled into an upright position, leaving both pairs of feet dangling off the hammock. So much for the nice dreams. "You did what you could. Halley, you're only human. We all knew what we were getting into." 

Halley made a face. "I hate that phrase."

"Doesn’t make it any less true." He pictured Felicity clearly, how there was a ghost of a laugh on her face and nothing else. _No one blames you,_ he added as a thought.

"And it doesn't mean that I have to like it." She opened her mouth to say something else, but stopped. 

"What?" Gid asked. He started to feel some prickling annoyance at her stubbornness. Why couldn't she say what was on her mind? She was going to drive him insane one day all because she decided to be a thick prat that kept her emotions and reasons locked up. He knew from experience how badly that would go.

Halley looked sheepish as she ran a hand through her hair. It was longer than what anyone was used to due to her adventures from last year. "Do…do you want me to explain everything?"

"No more secrets," Gid said evenly. "I just want the truth. The whole truth."

Halley tucked her knees under her chin and wrapped herself into a tight ball. "I guess it all started with a love potion, a scared girl, and a frightening series of events…" 

And she told him.

He listened with almost a morbid fascination about Merope’s unrequited feelings and how she’d bewitched the soon-to-be father of her child. The connection to Salazar Slytherin, what became of Tom Riddle in the orphanage, and she told of what he’d feared the most.

“…and that’s how he stopped himself from dying—“

“Stop!” Gid almost shouted. He pushed himself away, feeling his heart hammering wildly in his chest. He could remember what it was like to slowly blackout, as if he was going asleep, and then to have that _awareness_ that something was horribly wrong. Waking up afterwards and feeling sick and lost, wondering why he was covered in red paint or feathers. And then there was the Chamber—the source of his nightmares.

Even now, Gid could recall Riddle’s laughter in the darkness… 

“I—I used the Diary, _he_ was possessing me— _his_ soul—“

“I know what you’re thinking.” Halley held his hand and gave his fingers a tight squeeze. “Trust me on this, we’re not him. We aren’t going to end up like him.”

 _We_. Gid repeated the word. He could make the connection and now it really felt like he was going to be sick. “You had to die." 

Halley’s shoulders sagged and she appeared ages older. “Neither can live while the other survives.” She took her glasses off and wiped the lenses clean with the hem of her shirt. “Trying to kill me the first time obviously didn’t work so well, and Riddle had such faith in the prophecy.” 

Of course there was a prophecy.

“That’s…” Gid struggled to find the right word. Sick? Mad? Words weren't strong enough to label the twistedness that drove Voldemort to raise a wand on a baby; what made him separate his soul more than once and allowing them to fester and infect their hosts. “How?”

Halley closed the gap between them and she gently cupped his face. “Gideon, look at me.” 

He did. He saw her dusky skin that was gaining colour again, her messy black that was starting to curl in the humidity, and those striking green eyes staring at him behind her round glasses. There was nothing of Tom Riddle in her sun-warmed touch or in her determined expression. She was purely and wholly Halley Lily Potter in his eyes.

“I know that there’s nothing left of Riddle in you, can I tell you how?”

Gid nodded.

“Because you can love,” Halley said. “That’s the power that the Dark Lord knows not.”

* * *

 … _Gid was walking in the empty halls of Hogwarts late at night. The torches were dimmed, leaving the shadows heavier and darker and the suits of armor looking especially menacing in that time of night._

_Halley was walking ahead of him. Like he, she was also dressed in her school robes. Her cloak made soft swishes as she was slowly being swallowed up by the shadows._

_He called out for her but she never responded. Running to catch up, Gid caught his reflection in the polished breastplate of one of the knights. Even distorted and warped, he could tell that wasn’t his face. It was all wrong. The features were aristocratic and thin, the chin too narrow, and wavy dark hair was combed back to show more pale, freckle-less skin._

_But the eyes._

_They were red._

_“I’m sorry.” Gid turned around and there was Halley pointing her wand at him. Her face was blank, void of any expression and her voice carried as much. “But I have to,” she said. The lightning bolt scar on her head was blood-red and angry. “Neither can live while the other survives.”_

_“I’m not him,” Gid insisted. Nameless horror filled him as spoke in Riddle’s smooth voice. “Halley, it’s me—I’m not Riddle!” But there was a wand in his hand that wasn’t made from rowan._

_She raised her wand. “Avada—“_

Gid threw his sheets off and ran to the bathroom, emptying the contents of his stomach.

Their earlier conversation swirled inside his head. Hallows and Horcruxes, souls and sacrifices, but thoughts about the diary were what stayed. _My soul for yours,_ he remembered. That was what Tom Riddle had wanted _—_ a powerful soul to bring the bastard back to life as Gid was being fed the ruined one.

Cautiously, Gid looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. It was his own face. There were the large brown eyes that he had and the freckles on every inch of skin, and his flaming red hair that needed a trim. There was nothing physical of Tom Riddle in face.

Eventually reassured that he wasn’t going to turn into the Dark Lord in his sleep, he slowly made his way back to his room for another restless night. He passed Halley’s room on the way up. Her door was ajar.

Maybe? Should he? 

Gid lightly knocked, pushing the door open a little more. “Halley?” 

She was awake and sitting up already. Her hair was a mess and she had her wand in hand. “What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing,” he said. “Can I…can I stay here?” 

No more words were needed.

Halley moved over to one side to give him room, and he slipped into bed with her. Gid closed his eyes and waited for sleep to come. 


	5. Dreams vs Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of the previous chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've written this at least ten times before smacking my head on the keyboard. 
> 
> College has started, which means that my free time is now occupied by napping and doing homework. I really appreciate the fact that people are reading this, and I would love to hear your thoughts so far.

  _…and he was kissing her like he had never done before. Gid felt her fingers in his hair, and her other hand being pressed into his back as if to bring him closer. It was easy to get lost in the feeling that felt more intense than those happy hours by the lake._

_Halley murmured his name against his lips._

_“What?” Gid moved his mouth to her neck, wanting to hear her make those breathy sounds again. He encircled her small waist, his fingers just grazing the soft skin that was under her shirt._

_“Door,” she croaked. She retrieved his wand from the back pocket of his jeans and cast the spells on the door to lock it shut. “There, now no one—Merlin, that feels good.”_

_“Good.” He traced the mark on her neck with his fingertips. “Let’s make the most of this, yeah?”_

_Halley’s lips were on him again, her hands balled in his shirt to bring him down closer…_

“Gid!”

His bed was so comfy…the sheets were soft and they smelled nice, and everything was so warm and cozy… He sighed happily in his dream, imagining the feel of her skin and lips touching him…

_“Hi,” Gid breathed. He was on his back and she straddling his waist._

_Halley undid another button on her shirt. “That’s all?” she laughed, her cheeks flushed._

_“Sorry.” He leaned on the back of his arms and stared up at her. “Your rapturous beauty leaves me without words.”_

_“You’re barmy, maybe in need of glasses.” Her shirt was on the floor with his clothing. Her bra was a red that went well with her dark skin and he wondered briefly what colour her knickers were. Halley leaned down to kiss him. The action was slower but just as passion-filled. Gid’s fingers felt thick and clumsy as he tried to undo the clasp…_

“Gid!” the voice repeated; someone was shaking his shoulder. “Gideon, wake up!”

“Wha _-a-a—“_ he slurred. He blearily opened his eyes and saw large green eyes staring at him. Disorientated and still in the throes of sleep, Gid struggled for a moment to separate dream from reality. In his dream, he was happily giving Halley the rest of her birthday present. In reality, they'd only shared a bed for the night because of nightmares. He much preferred the dream. 

“It’s morning,” Halley whispered. She was leaning over him, her hair falling down the side of her face. “You need to go back to your room.”

Gid raised his head and saw the clock that was sitting innocently on the nightstand. It was nearing seven, which meant that his mum would be initiating her new rounds soon. Ever since they’d made it back home, Mum would check in on everyone in the morning as if they were little kids again. In its own way, it was reassuring to know that his mother cared enough to do that. 

But now it was very inconvenient.

“Are you okay?” Halley brushed her hair out of her eyes. “You look off.” She reached out to touch his forehead. 

“I’m fine, Gid muttered. He pushed himself away and focused on something distracting. “Dreams,” he said vaguely, feeling his ears turn red. He wanted nothing more than to erase himself from the room, and maybe even drown in his embarrassment. For the love of Merlin—he was dreaming about her in her own bed. 

“Ah.” Her eyes flickered back to his face before she averted her gaze completely.

_Oh._

Now that had his attention. Gid studied Halley’s face, noticing the flush of colour on her cheeks. A tingling awareness went through his body as the thought raced through his mind of her dreaming abut him the way that he dreamed about her. 

Any more thoughts were swiftly interrupted by the sound of Rory rushing past his room to get to hers that was down the hall. Through the opened door, they could see her clad in a dressing gown and later heard her door being slammed shut. Gid had only moments to realize that it was his _sister_ leaving _Hector’s_ room that was on the floor above. 

He glared at the ceiling.

Halley followed his gaze. “You don’t think…” 

“I don’t want to,” he said. "But I wonder how long it'll be for Mum and Dad to find out."

She gave Gid a little push. "And unless you want to be the first, then you should probably go back to your room." 

Agreeing to this, he untangled himself from the sheets and stumbled to the door. "Thank you." 

"For helping you escape?" asked Halley. 

"For letting me stay." 


	6. Photographs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Featuring Rule 63 Ron and Hermione and a cameo of the ghoul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sick, hands are spasticity again, so this isn't edited much but least it's a longer chapter. 
> 
> Muchos gracias to those that are reading this. You guys mean a lot.

Rory helped Halley to the floor of the attic. “If the ghoul comes over here,” her friend said, “then I want that dress back.”

“It wouldn’t fit you.” Halley sneezed into the crook of her arm. The amount of dust that surrounded and already covered her clothes would give Aunt Petunia a heart attack.

The slow process of rebuilding had started. Already, those like Rory’s older sister Charlotte had moved out to Hogsmeade to help build Hogwarts. Kingsley Shackelbot and selected Order members were overtasking themselves with the reconstruction of the Ministry, yet he still found time to schedule meetings with the other members to update them. Hector was making plans to retrieve his parents from Australia, and that left Halley and Rory with doing miscellaneous jobs around the Burrow and the shop.

Today it was cleaning the attic, bringing down old boxes and bringing new ones up. With most of her children back in their respective homes, it took some pushing to relieve Mr and Mrs Weasley to go have a nice afternoon tea with Andromeda Tonks and other members of the Order. The parents needed to be away from home and near some friends, while Halley, Rory, Hector, and Gid needed something to do.

Rory conjured Halley a handkerchief. “I’m sure with some charms I can get it to fit me.” She placed her hands on her hip and looked at the mess that surrounded them. There were some antique chairs that were crowded near an even older vanity set that glittered with peeling gold leaf. Boxes upon carefully labeled boxes were stacked like miniature towers that threatened to collapse. There were more things that were hopefully expected to be in a wizard’s attic: like grumbling mirrors covered in white and the snoring of the ghoul that faded into the background.

“We won't find anything dangerous in here, right?” Halley first watched Rory waving her wand to siphon off the dust in minuscular cyclones

Even being of age and using magic continuously for a year, she still felt awkward with using her wand for domestic reasons. There were sections about this in her textbooks, but they had nowhere the same amount of allure as the defensive magic did. At least Rory grew up watching her parents do things like using a charm to check a temperature, or an incantation that could wipe honey off the curtains. it felt like there was a gap in Halley's education that she could barely do her own laundry with magic. 

Rory snorted and directed the dust to go out the opened circular window. It brought in a stiff breeze that did nothing for the humidity and musty smell. “As if,” she said. “Unless you want to tackle the broom shed, then be my guest.” Halley wondered briefly on what contraptions that Mr Weasley had made in his moments of boredom. “Merlin! I can’t believe how many boxes are here.” Rory read the label of one of them and hastily kicked the box to the side.

“I thought you said there was nothing dangerous?” Halley said. 

“In the wrong hands it can be,” said Rory, paling under her freckles. _“Baby pictures.”_

That caught a fantastic amount of Halley’s interest. She smiled. “Really?”

“I’m sure that you were just as adorable back then.” Hector’s head appeared through the trapdoor. He also sneezed when greeting them. He scrambled up to his feet and reached them, giving Rory a kiss on the cheek first. “Where’s your brother?”

“Getting the last of the gnomes, he’ll be up here once he’s done.” Rory shuffled to block their view of the box. “Everything fine with your house?”

“Rather low-level curses, nothing too alarming and the Floo is still having problems.” Hector frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. “You really don’t want me to see them?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I want to see them,” Halley said.

She and Hector both moved closer to Rory.

“No way,” she said. “I hid these myself before Halley first came here. I wasn’t going to let Georgia and Feli-Felicity,” she stumbled and started over. “I wasn’t going to let them embarrass me.”

“Hector, we’re not going to tease her about the pictures, right?”

“Of course,” he said. “Only after we leave the attic…”

“What’s going on?” Gid scrambled up to meet them. There was a shallow mark that looked like an impression of a bite on his forearm and his clothes were streaked with dirt and sweat. He appeared even messier next to Hector who was wearing a clean button down shirt and slacks. Gid cocked his head to the side. “Rory, is that your stuffed animal collection?”

“Pictures,” she snapped.

“Pity.” He turned to their friends, a coy smile on his face. “She has this pink—“

“Gideon, remember that time when you wanted to play for the Harpies?” Rory cut him over smoothly. “Because those pictures are in there, too.”

Whatever the pictures were of, it shut him up.

Now Halley was dreadfully curious. She looked at each sibling. “Come on, what do either of you two have to lose?” 

“For one,” Gid said, “dignity. I like having that.” 

“But we’re your friends,” Hector argued. “Your dearest, closest friends.”

“I like my dignity more.” He twirled his wand between his fingers. “Now Mum’ll be pissed if we burn them, yeah?” 

“There can be another incident with the gnomes,” Rory said. She shared a knowing smile that reminded Halley of the twins. “Just like what happened with the crystal vase.”

“Is this how having a brother or a sister works?” asked Halley. “Blackmail and conspiracy?”

“Yes,” they said. 

“Goodness,” Hector said with a smile. “One would think you’re planning on hiding a body than a box full of albums. How many things had ‘incidents with gnomes’ happened between you two?”

Rory began counting them off with her fingers. “The crystal vase, the dress robes that Aunt Muriel gave me, Great-Aunt Jocelyn’s hat, Priscilla’s shoes, Georgia's barrette…”

“And now this box filled with embarrassing pictures that can be used for blackmail.” Gid picked the box up. “You don’t want to know how many mortifying memoires are in here. Very terrifying stuff.”

“The more you keep talking about it, the more I want to see them.” Halley stepped in front of him. “Please?”

“I’ll bring my own embarrassing baby pictures,” Hector promised. “I don’t have many, but I’ll bring them.”

“Tell me more.” Gid lowered the box back to the ground. 

Rory also appeared interested. “If everyone gets embarrassed, then I don’t mind you guys seeing them.” 

“Then I’m in the clear,” Halley said absentmindedly. She opened the box with a tap of her wand and began rifling through the albums, unaware of the awkwardness that she created. 

“Halley?” Gid knelt down next to her. “As in your aunt and uncle never took embarrassing pictures of you or..?”

“Hm?” Halley smiled inwardly at a picture of Rory as a baby, naked and running in the mud outside her home in a storm. “I guess they never saw much of a reason to take pictures of me.” She stared at the moving pictures so that she wouldn’t see her friends’ faces.

The ghoul in the background moaned in agreement.


	7. Why it Hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr and Mrs Weasley would like to talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was getting tired of seeing the Molly Bashing on here. Other than that, I am on a roll this weekend!

“Halley, there you are,” Mrs Weasley said suddenly, looking not entirely surprised to see her up and about near midnight. “Sit. 

Halley flushed, feeling as if she had entered a brightly-lit room after being in darkness too long. She also had a feeling that just walked in a conversation about her.  She’d been struck with the sudden urge to eat, a rare occurrence after the war. Her appetite would come and go in waves, and now Halley wasn’t entirely sure if she wanted some of the broth that Mrs Weasley was making over the stove.

Mr Weasley patted the back of the chair that was next to him. Like his wife, he had also lost weight and hair had thinned and greyed. His kind eyes still regarded her above his glasses. “Don’t worry,” he assured. “This will only take a moment, and then you can go back to sleep.”

Halley didn’t move. “Is…is this about wanting me to leave or…I’m sorry…”

There was the loud clatter of the heavy spoon dropping from Mrs Weasley’s hand. “Leave?” she asked. “Why on earth would we want that?”

“But…” Halley let the word dangle in the air, unsure of how to complete the sentence. Because she was keeping people up with her nightmares? Because she couldn’t save Felicity? Because she put the children of the two people that she thought of as parents in increasing danger each year? “Did I do something wrong?”

“Do you think you’ve done something wrong?” Mr Weasley said. He reached for a basket of bread that was on the table, and handed her a piece.

Halley took it and the seat next to him. Memories both sluggish and sharp swirled in her mind, not leaving a moment of peace. They weren’t going to be like with Aunt Petunia who would ignore her; they were going to listen no matter how absurd her thoughts were. Halley pressed her thumbs into the fresh crust, needing to find something to occupy her hands. “Because,” she muttered. “Because I’ve been a bother.”

“Ridiculous,” Mr Weasley scoffed. He spread some butter on his bread. “I cannot recall a single time that you’ve been a burden to this household. Molly?”

She was adding chopped vegetables to the broth. “You’ve been nothing but a polite guest in this house,” she agreed. “And where would you go if you decided to leave?”

Halley chewed on some crust, the poppy seeds crunched pleasantly in her mouth. “Um, Sirius left me his house?” The words conjured the uneasy image of her godfather lurking the dark hallways, the smell of alcohol lingering in the air.

“Do you honestly want to stay there?” asked Mrs Weasley. “It still hasn’t been fully cleaned out yet.”

“Book a room at the Leaky?”

“Have fun with the reporters,” Mr Weasley said. His mouth tilted in a smile.

Bewildered, Halley stared at the Weasley parents. “Then what about me where you two talking about?”

The parents shared a quick that held more words than those seconds.

“Your well-being,” Mr Weasley said. “We know that you’ve been picking at your food.”

“And the nightmares and excessive sleeping is something that anyone can tell,” added Mrs Weasley.

“You hardly leave your room.”

“Dear, we just get worried about you.”

“But I killed Felicity,” Halley said.

There was a long moment of silence.

“Arthur, can you…” Mrs Weasley’s face was carefully void of any expression. She gestured with her spoon at Halley. Her husband understood and nodded. He stood up and gave his wife a brief kiss on the cheek before leaving. “Now does this taste good to you?” She held the spoon out.

Halley wasn’t sure where the rest of the conversation was heading. She tasted the soup, liking how the warm vegetables and liquid rested in her uneasy stomach. “Yeah.” Mrs Weasley stopped stirring and brought out a bowl and spoon to ladle the soup in.

“I thought it would be a good idea to get a head start on cooking since you’re not the only one having a hard time sleeping. It’s for Andromeda. Minestrone is her favorite.” She handed Halley the filled bowl. It felt too heavy. “Is there a reason why you’re avoiding her, too?”

Halley nodded, no longer trusting herself to speak.

“Now have your soup and bread, and listen to me very carefully, Halley Lily Potter.” There was a strange sort of power that came with using someone’s full name. Halley discovered that there was an even stranger and more powerful one when being done by a parent. “It was not your fault.  Arthur and I do not blame you for the death of our daughter. Andromeda Tonks does not blame you for the death of her family. _No one blames you._ How hard is that to understand?”

“A lot.” Halley blinked away the growing amount of tears in her eyes. “I think about it a lot and it hurts.”

They moved to the table with the bowls of soup cooling near them.

“Sometimes when I look at you, “ Mrs Weasley said. “I except to see the knobby-kneed girl with the glasses falling down her nose and wearing oversized jumpers. But you’re not her anymore, are you? No, I supposed that it’s my own fault for wanting to see you all with the innocence that was ripped away from us older folks.”

“Was it difficult?” Halley asked. “Seeing us go though all of that?”

“It broke my heart each time.” Mrs Weasley skimmed the surface of the soup with her spoon, lost in thought. “You were all too young to be fighting so many, but don’t you understand that each time you’ve saved people? You’ve stopped so many of us from dying over the years. We are eternally in your debt, young lady.”

Halley thought back to each time: Seeing Gid’s body in the cold Chamber, Mr Weasley being attacked by the snake, Rory succumbing to the poison, Voldemort raising his wand at Mrs Weasley… Then to Georgia pale on the couch with a hole in the side of her head, Beatrice with the bloodied scars on her face, the echo of a laugh on Felicity’s face…

“It wasn’t enough.”

“You can’t save everyone. Goodness, if only, but the thought of that will only bring you more pain.” There was a change in her appearance, Halley noticed. Mrs Weasley's face seemed only older and sadder as the clock chimed midnight. "That is why it hurts. The matter..." her voice croaked and she repeated it again. "The matter of wanting it to hurt more is up to you. I just want you to know that Mr Weasley and I are here for you."

Halley nodded and they enjoyed the silence together. 

 


	8. Sunday Brunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andromeda and Teddy visit for Sunday Brunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am just updating and uploading a lot this week.

Andromeda Tonks was raised in the art of keeping her emotions still. A careful stoic mask must be worn in order to protect themselves from the likes of other Purebloods that would wish harm. All it would take would be a slip at someone’s name, and someone like Malfoy would know your weakness.

It was one of the several habits that were hard to break after her falling out with her family. After being raised in such a carefully controlled environment, she would sometimes feel overwhelmed when visiting friends and their more emotive families. 

“Hello,” Molly Weasley greeted her as she was directing her children to set the table. “Rory, I said to put away the peas, not to eat them. Beatrice, no. Don’t _levitate_ the knives like that, goodness we don’t need anymore injuries. Halley, would you be a dear and help Andromeda to a seat?” 

Her grandson’s godmother was visible in the small crowd of red hair and freckled skin. Halley Potter was truly an image of her parents, the same dark hair and skin as her father, but it had to be her mother’s eyes and wide mouth. After seeing much of her family in other Purebloods, Andromeda was glad to see someone else’s features for a change.

Even if the last time she had seen young Halley was as a sleep-deprived, mumbling witch at the funeral. And before then was when she was angry and healing from the fight. The look of terror and hatred when she saw Bellatrix’s resemblance in Andromeda was hard to forget. After all, looks like that she should be accustomed to. It certainly wouldn’t be the end of people mistaking her for her dead sister. 

“It gets a little mad around here,” Halley admitted. “You get used to it.”

“I plan to,” said Andromeda. She readjusted Teddy’s moving weight in her arms. The noises and smells were starting to wake him. With it being so close to the full moon, he was prone to slightest disturbances that ruined his sleep. But it was good being surrounded by a large family. Teddy needed this. She needed this—a distraction from everything else and from the restless dreams of Ted, Bellatrix, and Nymphadora.

“Do you need help with Teddy?” Halley asked.

Andromeda held the squirming baby to his godmother, instructing her on how to hold him. “Support his neck, yes, like that. It’s a good thing you are not wearing any dangling earrings, I remember when…” Even when correctly cradling teddy, the look of unease was still on young Halley’s face. “You’ll be fine,” Andromeda told her. 

Halley gave a shaky nod.

Andromeda was soon seated and with food placed in front of her. She was now surrounded by a sea of redheads with the occasional head full of fair of dark hair. The eldest daughter, Beatrice Delacour was there with her husband Fabris, they were muttering to themselves as Beatrice laid a hand on her stomach and hadn’t touched her meal. The second oldest, Charlotte, was absent—something about giant spiders and a missing baby dragon in the Forbidden Forest. Priscilla and Georgia were the ones that seemed out of place in the loud family to Andromeda. Priscilla was stiff, speaking in short sentences to her parents, not meeting their eyes much. Georgia wasn't talking. She was more moving her food on her plate rather than eating it. Her mother would catch this, and Georgia would then take a small bit out of her jacket potato.

Then there were the younger ones. The four of them were sitting on the far end of the table together with Teddy. Halley was still holding him, smiling as his features rippled and changed. 

“He has your hair now, Rory!”

“Look at those green eyes.” 

“Aw, he’s getting freckles.”

Andromeda smiled to herself. Teddy was much like Nyphmadora when she was at that age. She would be unconsciously sympathetic to the people surrounding her, and would change her appearance to match whomever’s was surrounding her.

“It’s good, isn’t? That they’re smiling?” 

Andromeda turned her head to see Molly’s tired face. She was watching the children coo over the baby, a misty expression filled her brown eyes. 

“It is,” she agreed. She speared a sausage with her fork. “I don’t want Teddy to live alone.” 

“You won’t either,” Molly promised. She inclined her head to Halley who appeared almost serene now. “I think we all need a little of each other.”


	9. Choices We've Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A revision and then some with more angst. Sorry. Next one will be happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In My Veins by Andrew Belle was played when writing this. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone that's been reading!

Sunlight rained to the ground on one summer day. It came down like fat, golden raindrops, and it highlighted the bright colors and enhanced the beauty of the Burrow. Clouds lazily moved across the painted blue sky, and small winds rushed through the trees and flowers. Two sturdy trees supported a frayed, white hammock. Long branches and their large leaves hid the sun away in pockets of shadows.

Sometimes Halley would drag herself out of her room at the Burrow and stay outside on sunny days. All she ever did was rest in the hammock and curl up in the afternoon light to sleep under. The sun, she personally felt, had a cathartic effect on her. It was warm and present, keeping the shadowy figures of her nightmares away. The Burrow’s grassy backyard was the opposite of the Forbidden Forest or the destroyed grounds of Hogwarts. It wasn’t tainted to her.

Hogwarts was tainted, terribly so with the haunted and physical reminders of the Battle. Halley didn’t know if she would be able to look at the castle the same way ever again. In fact, she wasn’t sure when she would be able to leave the Burrow’s property without the overwhelming fear of being attacked or the reporters chasing her. Halley could see glimpses of them on the outskirts of the wards, waiting like vultures preparing to descend on a fresh kill. Everyone at the Burrow was glad that the wards prevented the reporters from seeing or even hearing what went happened on the Weasley’s' land. It made them feel safer.

Halley tested her weight on the ropes and knots of the hammock that was resting between the trees. It groaned, but made no sign of snapping. Reassured, she swung the rest of her body on it, and the distribution caused the hammock to rock gently. She tried to let the soothing motions relax her that should make the remains of the nightmares go away. Last night was particularly bad; it left a bitter taste of pennies in her mouth when she remembered waking up screaming.

Even now, Halley could hear the voices of the people she couldn't save, asking why couldn't she stopped their deaths? She couldn't move nor speak. Too many faces she recognized, all coming closer in different stages of decay…

Something touched her shoulder. Halley let out a small yelp and jumped, thinking of vengeful Death Eaters and undead Dark Lords. Quicker than she realized, her wand was out and pointed at someone. Actually, it was pointed at a surprised Gid who held his hands up in a silent sign of peace.

"Halley. Hi." He kept his eyes on the trained wand. "Mind not blowing me to pieces?"

"Right." Halley put her wand down, hands shaking. Her heart was thumping wildly, playing the scene over again in her mind. _I almost cursed him_ , she thought. _I almost cursed him and I would never forgive myself._ Her wand felt too heavy in her hand. "I’m sorry."

"I was the one who surprised you," he said, looking apologetic.

"And I almost cursed you to next week." Halley recalled seeing in throughout the battle at Hogwarts. She’s seen what he was capable of back then. Did he had his wand with him right now? What if she had cursed him and he reacted. What if? Those two words played her mind too much these days.

There was some seconds of silence. "Was it nightmares again?" Gid asked quietly. “You look exhausted.”

Halley sighed and raked a hand through her messy hair. "Last night was…"

"Not your best?" he supplied and then shrugged. Halley appreciated his attempts of making it seemed like it wasn't a big deal. "Silencing Charms were never your forte to begin with." He hesitated before meeting her eyes. "Want to talk about it, Halley?" 

She shook. There was no need to inflict her fears on anyone else. 

Something flickered in his eyes. “Then budge, you can’t have this all for yourself when you brood.”  His smile wasn’t as quick or as easy going as it was a few years ago, but it was there all the same. 

Halley complied the request and moved over some inches. Gid said thanks and lay down next to her. He took up more space than what she expected with his lanky and long frame. His feet were dangling over the edge, so he pressed his knees to his chest.

“Really?” she said. “You think all I do is brood?”

“You’re a professional at it,” Gid said. His tone was light. “I’ve never met someone that was adamant at saying no to help from the people that care about her. ”

“I also sleep out here,” said Halley.

“Because of the nightmares?” he guessed. “I get them, you know. You’re not the only one who wakes up terrified. There’s the Carrows and their detentions, the battle, you…” He looked away. “Just a few nights back, I had that one about the Forbidden Forest again. You didn’t wake up.” 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. She had a feeling that her short death had also scarred the rest of her friends. It couldn’t have been easy for them to see her dead in Hagrid’s arms. A part of her mind strayed too far, and she could almost feel the rough fabric of Hagrid’s jacket or his tears falling on her…

Gid was looking at her again. His fear appeared more tired than it did moments ago. She recognized that look too well. “It wasn’t your fault that you had to die.”

“I had a choice.” The words felt like weights, dragging her into a memory that she didn’t wanted to go back to. But Gid’s words had sparked something inside of her. She could recall her entire time in the Forest, everything was in perfect clarity except for what had happened during her death. Should she tell him everything? Would the knowledge of knowing what had happened there help him with his own nightmares?

“And we all would have been dead if you hadn’t. You heard what Tom has said, he wasn’t going to let any of us survive if you didn’t hand yourself over.”

 _Choices_ , Halley thought as she felt aware of the bruise over her heart, _comes with consequences._ Dumbledore had made a gamble and so did she. She wondered how much of her survival and others were based purely on chance? 

“I saw you,” said Halley suddenly. Her mind filled with the image of Gid kneeling next to a younger student. She remembered that ache well, the need for someone to notice, to make her change her mind. “You were there with a boy, and I—I wanted you to see me. You were my last thought.”

Gid’s head snapped up. His brown eyes were very wide.

She continued the babbling stream of words. “I remember being there, and Tom’s surprised that I even showed up. I needed to do it, though. I was his last Horcrux, He raised his wand and I thought of you. I wasn’t afraid then. I don’t remember much of the rest. There was green light and I was _somewhere_. But it’s all hazy and I don’t know where or what was happening. I remember wanting to come back. I made a choice. I wanted to come back. I—I—” Halley’s felt her words breaking and the tears stinging in her eyes. “Bollocks. I’m crying.”

She felt Gid put his arms around her and she was crying into his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he was saying. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed.”

“But you needed to know, too,” she muttered. Halley looked up and saw the tears on his face. She had done the impossible. “I’ve made you cry,” she said, touching his cheek. Her crying had stopped, but he was shuddering. The truth had scared him.

Gid wiped the tears away with his sleeve. “Shit—I knew you were saying something after the battle, I should have listened more—“

“I was exhausted and so were you.”

The moments after the battle were a confusing mess of memories. Halley remembered crawling into her bed and seeing Gid there. She remembered bawling her eyes out and telling him as much as she could with the lack of sleep and the injuries that she had. But she supposed that he was still trying to recover from everything as well. They all had different ways of coping, his was making sure that people were all right, and hers was caving to the damn of emotions that were finally unleashed.

“You died,” he said. “You were really dead and that scares me.”

Halley noticed the tense that he used. How many nightmares did he have of her not waking up? If her death had done this to him, then she couldn’t imagine how Rory and Hector were, too. She took his hand and placed it over her heart. “See? I’m not going anywhere.” 

Gid took some deep breaths and closed his eyes. He pulled her into another hug, this one was deeper and they fell to their sides, making the hammock swing. His face was buried into her hair, and Halley was sure that her glasses were leaving an uncomfortable impression into his shoulder

But neither was willing to let go.

They lay there in the hammock and waited for their waking nightmares to go away under the sunlight.


	10. What If: The Next Step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every tenth chapter will have an AU set in a post-war environment. 
> 
> I thought it would be fun seeing Tonks as the best and worst adult friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: There's adult stuff mentioned in this chapter.

Halley hoped that the conversation would be quick and painless.

The Lupin-Tonks' living room was cluttered with soft baby toys, Remus' paperbacks and Tonks' colorful furniture purchases. Here Halley had many conversations in this room about her future as an Auror, her godson Teddy, and now it looked more like an even more personal matter.

"Aww, Teddy, go give your godmother a big kiss."

The baby gurgled and reached his pudgy arms out, making smacking noises with his mouth.

"I see that you've been training him." Halley gave her godson a kiss on the nose. "Can he do tricks now?" she asked Tonks as his hair became darker and wilder. 

"Mostly sympathetic stuff at the moment." Her friend cooed when Teddy's fair skin color started to change to match Halley's. "Very good, Teddy. Soon you'll be able to do more. Like this." Tonks morphed her nose to resemble a toucan's. Teddy laughed loudly. Her face became normal again and she quirked her mouth. "Relax, Halley. Remus is going to be out for a while. He had a rough full moon." 

Halley looked up at the ceiling, imagining the horror of her old professor walking down or even listening to their conversation.

"What brings you to my couch? No, it can't be Auror business, and you specifically asked if Remus wasn't here, which means…" Tonks' face split into a wide and Sirius-like grin. "Oooh, it must be boy stuff." She whispered loudly into her son's ear, "See, Teddy? Your godmother trusts me enough to talk about—"

"Tonks!" Halley said. She dropped her head into her hands. "I don't think Teddy should be here for the conversation."

"But don't you want a physical reminder of what happens when—"

"Please, don't."

"—you get a little too passionate near a full moon?" 

Halley raised her head. " _Why?"_ Aghast, she stared her mentor, not wanting to picture what that witch that was training her to be an Auror and her best Defense professor did alone in their bedroom. "Really, why?"

"I could ask you the same question, kid." Tonks set Teddy down between them. He squirmed and fell backwards on the couch cushion, kicking his little legs up. "Gosh, when did you two get so old on me?" 

"I'm not a kid anymore," muttered Halley.

"You're right. You're an adult with a boyfriend that is also of age. A boyfriend that you're getting really comfortable with. You want to know when you're ready?"

Halley tucked her knees under her chin. She tried to steel herself, but the conversation already took several turns, and it felt like her face was about to burst into flames. "Yeah."

"Let's say that you are ready for…Quidditch." The corner of Tonks' mouth twitched. "Do you know how that works?"

Halley massaged the bridge of her nose, muttering to herself before actually speaking. "Bloody hell, I have to catch the snitch or whatever analogy you see fit. Molly gave me that talk years ago." 

"Good, but maybe it should be something like scoring a goal or riding a broom," Tonks said. "That shouldn't be the problem with those romance novels that Gid reads. Oh, please," she said at seeing Halley's expression. "Who do you think supplies them?" 

"You're a horrible influence on him." 

"You'll be thanking me later. Those books can be very educational." Tonks' smile became wicked and she waggled her eyebrows. "And you know how to catch his attention because we had that lovely talk when you were 16." 

Halley groaned. The conversation was just as vivid in her mind's eye. It was before Slughorn's Christmas party, and Halley had run into the Auror while she was on break. It didn't take much needling for Tonks to realize who Halley fancied, and had then given her information that was worthy of _Witch Weekly._ Most of the conversation had made Halley stutter and blush as the older witch just laughed.

Some of the well meaning mirth left Tonks' face. "When did you decide that you wanted to play Quidditch?"

Wishing the couch would swallow her whole; Halley made vague waves with her hand. "Thought about it for a while, actually. But it felt too soon back then, and we weren't in any good shape in the summer. We talked and stuff, like, we both want to make a move but I think we're scared out of our wits."

Tonks nodded. "Quidditch can even change a relationship, you know. Like for Charlotte and I way back—"

"Wait. Charlotte Weasley? Gid's sister?"

"Yeah, poor Molly was heartbroken when we split. The point is that Quidditch can change your relationship. I liked playing it, but Charlotte didn't and that caused us to argue. I didn't respect her feelings and it was the final straw for us. Our careers, Quidditch, what we wanted to do together in the future wouldn't work, but we're in better places now." She looked down at her son who was half-asleep, his hair rippled different colors.

Halley nervously twirled a piece of her hair between her fingers. "You were the jerk in the relationship?" 

Tonks flushed. "Yeah, I was. I had a lot of growing up to do, but it's good that you two talked about it first and are respecting each other. That's a good sign that you're both ready." 

Halley muttered something in agreement. That particular conversation was recent. She was asked to talk to some of the younger students, and after that she had a wonderful time with her boyfriend. One moment lead into a more awkward one, and they had a frank talk about what they wanted physically in their relationship.

It was more than reassuring to hear out loud to hear from Gid that he wanted her. They had both admitted their dreams and feelings, but what was stopping either of them from making that move? They were comfortable with each other physically and emotionally, they had already said their 'I love you's, and Halley was so close yesterday…

"Tell me more." Tonks readjusted Teddy who had gotten very bored with them and fallen asleep, his head was resting at an awkward angle. He cuddled into his mum's side.

"I love him, and he loves me," said Halley, feeling a slight thrill with saying those words. "But the moment we get close to…" She struggled to find the appropriate words that described the rush of frustration and awkwardness that was always created in the privacy of his bed. Clothes would be off, passion would crackle, but once they were near naked would be one of them would balk.

"It's natural to be scared," her friend said.

"But I don't want to be scared," Halley said. She stretched her legs out, her toes touching the edge of the coffee table. "I just want him. I want _us."_

"Well," Tonks said. "What's a big thing that the both of you went through? Something that none of us had?" 

It took Halley a moment. "It's not like that!" Her voice sounded loud to her ears. "It is absolutely nothing like possession—"

Tonks raised a calming hand. Her pink hair became darker, more solemn. "You and Gideon were hit very intimately by something twisted and wrong. It shaped the both of you for better or worse, and now here you wanting to become intimate. It's your choice this time and that's what different." 

She thought about it. The time she was possessed was quicker than Gid's. Instead of it happening gradually over a year with shared secrets and words, she had been struck with a large amount of his power all almost at once. She had been conscious and aware of Voldemort trying to overshadow and control her. There was also the fact that she had been a Horcrux for most of her life, unaware of the fraught piece of soul that had tied them together. It had taken Halley months to get the feeling that could trust herself again… 

Halley wondered how Gid saw it. His trust had been violated on a different level, making him lose control of his own body. How much of that fear was still there? The idea of being betrayed by someone that you shared your deepest secrets with?

"Do you think that's why?" she asked.

Tonks shook her head from side to side. "Mix that with the anxiety of taking that step, well, yeah. Maybe you two should talk about that next?"

Halley leaned back into the couch and sighed. "Even dead that bastard has a way of continuing to mess with my life." 

The Auror ruffled Halley's hair. "Don't worry, I'm sure that you two will be able to get through this. You'll know when you're ready and so will he."

"Thanks," Halley said, smiling. "I needed to hear that."

"And, Halley?" The way Tonks said her name made her feel worried. "He's a Weasley. You better get the strongest contraceptive out there." She smiled brilliantly and waved as Halley mumbled something about suddenly having errands before leaving in a hurry.

* * *

"You did good, Tonks." She patted her son's back and waited for him to burp. Halley's quick exit had disturbed her little boy from his nap, and now he was hungry. "Look at you being such a good role model and mentor, your mother would be so proud of you."

Teddy burped loudly in agreement.

"Good boy," said Tonks. She cooed and put his head against her shoulder. "Isn't it good to know that you may get a godsibling to play with in the future? That'll be fun."

She turned around just as the fireplace changed colors and Gid Weasley stumbled into her living room. "Bloody hell," he gasped. "Okay, Aberforth is only giving me an hour until he tells Filch or McGonagall, but I really need your help. You're one of the few people that I know who isn't with a sister or a close friend."

"Is it about Quidditch?" Tonks asked with a perfectly straight face.

"Quidditch? What, no? I need to know how to not muck things up about sex!"


	11. In Distant Places

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ron and Hermione finally get their moment. 
> 
> Wishing those that are celebrating are having a happy and healthy Thanksgiving tomorrow!

“ _Ngghhh…”_ Hector Granger moaned. “Warmth…come back…” With eyes shut, he beckoned Rory to come near him.

“Sorry,” she muttered. She looked at the bedside table and saw the time. Wincing at how late—or rather how early—it was, Rory forced herself to leave the bed and her boyfriend. Her mum had regressed into the old habit of checking up on them in the morning as if they were children again. The last thing Rory needed besides the teasing from her sisters ( _minus one,_ the thought panged her heart dearly) and brother were her parents finding out what she and Hector were up to at night. 

 _One day,_ Rory told herself _, I’m not going to have to climb up two flights of stairs to see my boyfriend. And we’re going to have privacy._ She twisted her long hair in a tail with an abandoned elastic that was hiding in the sheets along with her robe and socks. She put her clothing on slowly, feeling the body warmth of Hector behind her.

“Must you go?” He raised his head from the pillow. His bushy hair was in an even messier state, and the pillow created lines on his face. “I don’t leave for Australia until the afternoon.” He played with the ends of her hair and kissed the back of her neck. Rory heard the bed creak as he sat behind her. “Some more time wouldn’t hurt…”

Rory slipped her robe off. “If Mum catches us—“ She shuddered at the thought. While her parents weren’t sticklers for the rules that old Pureblood families followed (the whole arranged marriages thing straight out of school sounded like complete bollocks), playing something that wasn’t chess with her boyfriend before marriage could be pushing the envelope—even if Mum, according to the date of Beatrice’s birth, had no room to say anything.

“I’ll whisk you away with me,” Hector joked. He stroked her collarbone and continued leaving small kisses on her neck. “You’ll get horribly sunburned and my parents would be delighted to meet you once they get their memories back.”

 _Nggghh…_ Rory half closed her eyes, her mind warring between the need to sleep, the want for her boyfriend that’ll be leaving soon, or the overhanging fear of her parents discovering them in their underdressed state. Life wasn’t bloody fair. She had to choose one.

She could settle for something like half of one and another, right? 

“Are you sure you want to do this on your own?” Rory ran her fingers through his curly hair, causing him to sigh. “Some company wouldn’t hurt.” 

“It feels like I have to.” He linked his fingers through hers. “Some soul searching when the world isn’t in danger shouldn’t hurt.” 

 _But what if you find a witch who’s smart enough to understand you? A pretty and successful ministry witch who…_ Rory tried to shake herself from those insecurities, but they were crowding her mind often. Hector was going to be gone for a few weeks, finding his family and recovering their memories, and later helping them adjust to being back home. Already his house in Bristol was cleared and was officially safe. The only thing missing in the brownstone was his family. Soon she would also be busy with helping out at the shop, and he would probably be back in school… Who was she kidding? It would be nothing short of the world ending, and he would still be dressed and ready to leave on the platform.

“You’ll write to me, yeah?” Rory asked. She settled in Hector’s lap, pushing him back down in the bed.

He let out a soft ‘omph’ but readjusted his limbs around her for a hug. “Every thing I see,” he promised. “Every little detail about the shrubbery and the heat and the size of the giant spiders—“

Rory kissed him. “No. Not a single bloody words about the spiders.” She silenced his laugh with another kiss.

* * *

 

Like her mother, Rory also found herself checking up on Halley in the late nights or early mornings. She knew how Halley’s nightmares were back at Hogwarts, and she knew how to handle them with a good blast of water, some comforting words, and a good cup of hot chocolate to put the other witch’s mind at ease. It simply wasn’t fair that after everything, Halley seemed to be suffering the most.

Just a quick peak, and there was Gid—

There was her little brother in (not _under_ the covers, but on top) her best friend’s bed. They were cuddling and _clothed_. Thank Merlin for that. Halley was under the covers, but Gid was sleeping next to her, almost cocooned around her. 

Rory was almost tempted to leave them there for Mum to find in a few hours.

But…

She tiptoed closer and poked her brother’s shoulder. “Oi, you. Wake up,” she whispered, not wanting to wake her friend. Halley stirred but made no other sign. 

He waved her away. “Yes, Mum.” Gid curled himself a little more around Halley who was mumbling something.

Well, so much for that. Rory grabbed Gid’s arm and yanked him out of the bed. He soon stumbled to his feet, dazed and sleepy.

“You!” She jabbed her wand in her brother’s back. “Say goodnight and start walking.”

“Night, Gid,” Halley muttered from her spot. She rolled over and took up what was his part of the bed.

Gid sighed and allowed Rory to more or less frog marched him out of the room.

“You can thank me later,” she whispered as they were out of earshot. As much as she would enjoy watching him squirm under his mother’s glare, even she had a conscious regarding her siblings.

“We were talking. I had another nightmare and we talked,” he insisted. “Bloody hell, Rory, not everyone in this house is at it like you and Hector are.”

She felt her face turn bright red in the darkened hallway. Dammit. He knew, and since he knew, it was very much likely the same for everyone else. Secrets were a lost cause in the Burrow. “Shut it!”

“Well, it’s not a lie.” Gid turned his back on her and started walking to his room. “And just for the record, Halley and I haven’t _done_ anything.”

“You…haven’t?” Rory blinked several times. She only assumed that since the war was over that two would be making up for their lost time together. They acted like they were a couple again. Why not, right? The war was finally done and most of the danger was put away. Many couples were being formed, even some rumors of impending marriages. “You two aren’t together?” 

Gid sagged his shoulders and appeared smaller. “Does Halley look like she’s ready to get back in a relationship? We’re not you and Hector. I hadn’t seen her in almost a year and the first time I saw her after the wedding she was fighting, and then she was dead…”

“Yeah, I get it,” Rory croaked. Her stomach felt sick at remembering the sight of her best friend dead. The nightmare was right up there with Felicity being actually dead and hearing Hector’s screams at Malfoy Manor. Those were the moments that were never going to leave her. “It’s been one hell of a year.”


	12. Two Steps Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And a job opportunity comes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the delay. I've been exhausted since finals were finally done, and Hanukah happened--and ye gods I'm actually home. 
> 
> Happy belated holidays to all the readers!

Kingsley set the tea kettle down and steepled his fingers under his chin. He looked very different than the wizard that Halley had met more than two years ago. His trademark gold earring was gone, new lines were creased into his face, and his skin was sallow, as if he was recovering from a long bout of illness. She supposed that being the Minister of Magic at this time was immensely stressful when catching Death Eaters and trying to rebuild the Ministry. 

“Is it a permanent thing?” Rory asked. She stirred her spoon in her tea, uncharacteristically uninterested in drinking it. “I don’t fancy running after these bastards for the rest of my life, yeah?” 

“How long do you think will be enough for you, Miss Weasley?” he asked. 

Her friend shrugged. “I don’t know? I just want them away, away from people so that they can’t hurt them.” 

Kinglsey nodded. “And you?” he asked Halley. “Do you still have an interest of joining the Aurors?” 

Halley’s mind flashed back to her Fifth Year and having that career talk with McGonnagall and Umbridge, and then of her glimpses of the Auror Office and what Aurors she had seen. It would be four years of intense training and more to get to the likes of Kingsley, Tonks, and Mad-Eye Moody. But she, Rory, and the rest of the team that Kingsley wanted to collect didn’t had the time for training, the Death Eaters needed to be caught _now._

Halley raised the rim of her cup to her lips but didn’t take a sip. “How’s training going to work?” 

That made the Minister smile. “You and the others will be put in an accelerated program once September starts. From there, expect long days and you’ll need to be picking up the pace. You already have the experience, and you know what these wizards are capable of, but I think the training will be an added use. “ He paused. “I take it that the both of you will be joining?” 

Rory and Halley shared a quick look. It seemed strange that it felt like yesterday they were smaller and agreeing that they would join the Auror Program together, now that moment felt very different than what they’d intended. Personally, Halley felt surprised that she still wanted to join after everything. Rory’s earlier words had struck a cord. The likes of Macnair and other dangerous types were still out there. The idea of that reminded Halley that even though Voldemort was truly gone, they still weren’t safe. 

“If she goes, I go,” Rory said. 

“Really?” said Halley. 

“If you think I’m going to let you chase down Death Eaters without me, then you’re mistaken.” Rory crossed her arms in front of her chest. “We’re in this together, mate.” 

“And what do you say, Halley Potter?” Kingsley said to her. 

“To be honest,” she said. ‘I thought you were here to talk about court hearings and not job opportunities.” 

Kingsley closed his eyes and sighed. “It’s going to takes us years for the trials to end…” 

“Yeah, I’ll join.” Halley sipped at her cold tea. “Where do we sign?” 

“Would Hector like to join, too? Kingsley asked. “A sharp mind like his would be useful to have around.” 

Rory’s expression became more neutral. “He’s in Australia with his parents. You missed him by a day. Besides, he wants to be more into magical law.” 

“And your brother?” 

Halley’s head shot up and Rory actually dropped her cup. _“What?”_  

“I’ve read the reports, and I must say that I’m impressed with the initiative that you all took.” He looked at Halley. “Your study group has grown into a breeding ground of the people that will change things here. They are the future that we need, and they will lead it. 

“I’m not under any delusions,” he said. “This war has brought to light how corrupted the Ministry is. In order for us to have a future, there must be change and it needs to come from within.” 

“You plan on staying Minister for long?” asked Rory in an almost dry manner. Halley had to agree; Kingsley’s words were inspiring. 

And he was right. 

The Ministry was corrupt. She’d seen Lucius Malfoy pocket gold for Fudge, the tyranny of Umbridge, and her own trial. There were countless examples that she’d been witness to that proved that the old Ministry needed to go through some sort of metamorphosis. Halley was sure that if Hector was here, then he would have already started a rant on he should change things. Knowing him, it would start with the mistreatment of House-Elves and werewolves. 

So how would she change things as an Auror? 

“How do you propose we start?” Halley refilled her cup of tea, her hands shaking. The images of Sirius bound in chains and seeing Death Eaters hiding in the shadows of the graveyard swirled in her conscious. 

“Is that a no about Gideon and Hector?” Kingsley said. 

Rory sighed and curled some of her hair around her finger. “You can ask Hector when he gets back, but he has his heart set on going back to Hogwarts and doing magical law. As for my brother…” Her expression changed for a moment. “He’s upstairs. I dunno about him.” 

Halley tried to imagine Gid in the maroon robes, but the image wouldn’t form. Something about him being an Auror seemed too conforming for someone like him. She knew since Sixth Year on how he dreamt about playing professional Quidditch or even designing brooms. And for Hector, Halley could only see him happily drafting legislations for House-Elf rights. 

“Then we’ll focus on you two for now.” Kingsley held his cup in one hand and pulled a piece of parchment from the inside of his robe. “Second week of August, I want the both of you there and ready to sign many forms. It’ll be your insurance, your contracts, your finances…” His mouth twisted in a bemused grin. “Medical records and history.” 

Halley gave a small smile. Rory chortled and nudged her shoulder. “You’ll be writing that for ages,” she said in a stage whisper. Halley rolled her eyes and tried not to dwell at how long it could take her to finish that. _Yes_ , she thought. _Make that my right arm loosing every bone, falling from a great height on a broom, once possessed, intense exhaustion and malnutrition, multiple burns…._ Now actually forming a list, Halley was surprised that she even had all her limbs and fingers. _Maybe I was dropped in a cauldron of Felix Felicis as a baby?_

They stayed and talked some more about their futures. Kingsley was adamant that the trials regarding certain Death Eaters, like the Malfoys or even those that never took the mark, like Greyback, were of higher priority. Halley was certain that she was going to be needed at the Malfoys’ trials. 

“When do you see that happening?” she said. 

“Maybe October, I hope for late September,” Kingsley said. His frown became something more sardonic. “The public, as you can imagine, demands something. With their activities now brought to light, at least their reputation is damaged.” 

Rory snorted. “All the gold in Gringotts can’t fix that now.” 

“Speaking of Gringotts,” the Minister said, “I believe the goblins are waiting for someone to say something about the three of you—“ 

Halley and Rory shared an exasperated look. Before he had left, Hector was looking for loopholes to justify their infamous robbery. He had some leads at the moment, but he wanted something more concrete than ‘According to this passage from Godric Gryffindor’s diary’ or 'This text from 1312 stated an agreement between a coven in Bristol and the goblins at…’. 

“Can’t the ends justify the means for this one?” Rory sighed. 

“You try being the one to tell them that.” 

“Is there a card for this?” Halley asked out loud. “Yes, we’re sorry for breaking into your impenetrable bank. I’m sure that we can retrieve your dragon at some point.” 

Kingsley covered his face with his hands. “Tell me that you three didn’t…” 

“I think Charlotte’s called dibbs on nursing the poor thing back to health.” Rory shook her head. “I can’t believe that thing ended up in Cardiff of all places. She’s ready to drop the construction of Hogwarts to bring it to the reserve in Romania.” 

“Norberta will now have a playmate,” Halley smiled.

Eventually, their conversations came to an end. Kingsley had meetings to attend, and life had to continue on. 

Rory was putting the tea set away when the Minister cornered Halley. 

“Minerva still speaks highly of you joining,” he said with a soft smile. He leaned back in one of Mrs Weasley’s kitchen chairs. “I remember Tonks mentioning that she wanted to be your mentor when the time came."

Halley blinked once. Twice. “That…that would have been nice.” 

“And how are you?” he asked. “Arthur has been keeping me posted about your well being.” 

“Why, Minister,” Halley drawled. “I haven’t officially signed anything and you’re questioning my ability.” 

Kingsley fixed her with a pointed look. “Being an Auror is stressful and dangerous.” 

“I know.” 

“And with your history I’m amazed that you’re considering.”

Halley closed her eyes and saw the Forbidden Forest behind her eyelids. She saw the Death Eaters that were still standing with malice marking their hungry faces. “I’m considering because I have to,” she said. “There’s work that needs to be done.”


	13. A Spot of Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Less angst and more Quidditch!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Standard usual disclaimer that I don't own anything, and that college is exhausting.

The winds felt brisk and cool. Closing her eyes, Halley trusted her instincts and memory of the paddock so that she wouldn't fly into a tree branch. She let herself get momentarily lost in the sensation of the wind and the flash of exhilaration that came with being up so high. She felt lighter on her broom, more able to let her mind clear itself and to live in the moment instead of the past haunting her or whatever uncertain future was ahead.

 _This is good._  Halley relaxed her grip on her broom and felt the slight wave of vertigo as she descended to the earth in gradual spiral movements _. Flying is good._ Opening her eyes a little, she saw that she was hovering over the ground.She sat up on her broom, letting her feet skim over the tall grass. "Not bad," she muttered, feeling the hum of the magic in the broom under her hands. That and the smell of broom polish were able to let her thoughts go back to the times of practices with laughing teammates and adrenaline-filled matches.

Quiddich was a good thing to think back to. Quidditch wasn't a marred memory because of the war.

Halley smiled as she mentally placed herself in the Gryfindor Common Room, surrounded by her cheering housemates, and there was Gid still in his Quidditch robes, running to her—and Halley was knocked out of the memory by something round and hard bouncing off her forehead.

Startled, she blinked several times to be sure that it was a walnut that was hovering near her face. A Color Changing Charm made it a hazy shade of gold, the brown still visible in certain parts.

_What the…?_

"You game?" Gid appeared next to her on his own broom.

"Only because you're going to lose," Halley said before giving herself a good kick off the ground.

The familiarity directed her as she made sharp turns and sweeping arcs while she sought for the homemade Snitch.The sky and ground swirled around her and she  _laughed_.

Diving under Gid who missed the Snitch, she flew over him in a wide arc, casting a shadow over him. "You're looking rusty there," she said, tilting her head in a way to let the wind brush her hair away from her face.

He laughed. "Not as bad as you."

There was a flash of gold in her peripheral. Halley cursed as the walnut slipped from her fingers. "I bet you enjoyed that."

"It's not every day I see the Snitch escape you so easily." Gid floated near her, head turning to see if it was nearby.

"That's not a Snitch," said Halley. "It's an enchanted walnut with a shoddy Coloring Charm."

"I thought the shoddy Coloring Charm was a nice touch," he said with a smile. Seeing him with it made him look more like himself. "It feels more real, you know?"

"I appreciate it."

"But not as much I'm going to appreciate winning." Gid's laugh was quick as he descended, gold flashing in the sunlight.

Halley followed him, pushing the old Cleansweep to move faster. The gold sparkled and danced in front of her eyes, almost taunting her with the old memories of past victories. She saw Gid laying flat on his broom, eager to move quicker. She lowered to the ground, flying past him, twisting to her side, arm stretched out—and whooped as she caught the 'Snitch'.

She landed roughly, her feet digging into the ground so hard that Halley could feel the seams of her trainers threatening to break, almost throwing herself off her broom.

"I win," she wheezed. Halley punched her fist in the air, the walnut threatening to escape. She dismounted and felt like laughing

"Knew you still had it," Gid said, dropping to his feet.

"Next time we play," said Halley, thinking of skimming through old copies of  _Which Broomstick_  and  _Quidditch Weekly,_ "We need a real Snitch and better brooms." She studied the old Cleansweep, noting the cracks that damaged the once-fine wood.

"Firebolt?" Gid asked.

"You know me too well," Halley said. She already felt eager at the idea of riding something like her old broom.

"I know you well enough that you should order through owl. I don't think you'll ever be safe walking in Diagon Alley."

Halley shuddered and remembered that last time she had visited there. It was too soon and her disguise was poorly done. People had recognized her instantly and she had to seek refuge in the closed Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes before a panic attack had started. "I think I'll need a fake name still."

"Ronnila Wazlib?" Gid joked. He nudged her shoulder. "That is your nickname, isn't?"

Halley laughed.

She felt  _good_. Halley felt really good but most of all she felt  _happy_. She'd won a 'game' of Quidditch, she was smiling and…and Halley couldn't remember a time that she felt so light. She knew there were several times in her Sixth Year (seeing Rory and Hector reconciling, winning the Cup and the few weeks of dating came to mind), and the few moments before she, Rory, and Hector had to leave the wedding at the Burrow.

And there was Gid next to her, his face flushed with excitement. He was standing tall in the sunlight, bringing back of the good memories of their time together.

Halley knew what she wanted. She wanted to kiss him right there, past history be dammed. She dropped the walnut and the broom, and took a step forward—

"I don't want to go flying!" Georgia cried out. She was being forced outside by Rory, who was stomping down the steps of the porch, wearing a determined expression on her face.

"You will leave your room," Rory snapped. Her long plait twirled around her head as she spoke sternly to her sister."You will do something. Hi," she said to Halley and Gid when she walked up to them. "Are the other brooms in working condition? I think some flying would be good for us."

"Yeah, the ones in the shed should be working." Gid rubbed his face and Halley (whose face was red and wished that the ground would swallow her whole) took some steps back. "I think the Quaffle needs to be inflated." His earlier cheer evaporated into a frown.

Halley wondered to herself if Rory had some way of knowing whenever she got too romantically close to Gid. Her timing was impeccable so far.

"Good." Rory dropped Georgia's arm and pointed her finger in a way that reminded Halley of Mrs Weasley. "You will not leave this time."

Georgia seemed to agree. She scowled. "Yes,  _Mum."_

Rory went to go collect more brooms and the Quaffle.

Georgia crossed her arms and sulked, appearing more like a petulant child in her old jumper than a grieving adult."Take that back," she mumbled. "Worst than Mum, at least she lets me stay in my room."

"You don't have to be out for long," Gid said. "We'll make it a short match. I'll lose graciously to you if you want."

"I'll make sure he loses horribly," added Halley.

Georgia uncrossed her arms. "Tempting…"


	14. Meeting the Parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now for the awaited return of everyone's favorite bookworm!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not dead or anything, just exhausted from schoolwork,

"You're here!"

Hector laughed even when suddenly landing on his back, with his girlfriend in his arms, being surrounded by her sweet-smelling hair. "I'm here!" he agreed, staring in a daze when seeing her freckled face split into a glowing smile.

His father coughed.

"Right." He could feel his face heating, but it was nothing compared to the full-on blush that Rory was now wearing.She scrambled off him, the color of her face now rivaling that of her hair. "Mum, Dad." Hector knotted his fingers with Rory's, well aware of the snickering in the background from the others. "You've met her before, but this is my girlfriend that I've been telling you about."

Ever since Australia, it had become harder to read her parents' faces. This was one of those times. Every time he mentioned the slightest hint to magic, their faces would become suddenly impassive. That fact gnawed at his insides, wondering how bad he had ruined his relationship with them.

Rory rubbed the back of her neck with one hand, and reached out to shake with the other. "Uh, hi, Mr and Mrs Grange. It's nice to see you again and, uh, welcome?"

Mum's face cracked into a tepid smile. She took Rory's trembling hand. "It's nice to meet you again. Hector has been telling us such wonderful things about you."

Rory made a small 'eep'.

Hector looked down at his feet, feeling painfully warm outside. The letters that he had sent them over the years flashed through his mind, the long paragraphs about how frustrating she was, or about a particularly funny joke that he had a hard time explaining, and now to just a week ago and he couldn't stop talking about her ("Mum, Dad," he had more or less said. "You know how I used to write longwinded paragraphs about Rory? I'm sort of dating her now after kissing her in the middle of this final battle. You'll like her, honest. And her parents want to invite us all over for brunch and…")

"Ruford and Jeanette Granger," Mrs Weasley greeted warmly. Her weary face became less so when smiling at his parents. "Why don't you come inside before the food becomes cold? Oh, it's a pleasure to see you again…"

Hector followed them, catching the faces of Halley and Gid who were sitting on the porch and stifling their laughter.

He was going to say something to them, but Halley's parents were dead and Gid's parents adored her.

Rory stuck her tongue out.

"That's it," said Halley, struggling to keep a straight face. "You go create an even better impression."

"I also wrote to them about the two of you," Hector said slowly. He narrowed his eyes and watched their reactions. "A lot over the years, actually." It was true. While his friends would come to him for advice, he in turn would send lengthy letters to his parents, asking more reassurance that he was doing the right thing. That meant his parents knew perhaps too much about everyone's romantic relationships.

Gid's face paled. "How incriminating are we talking about?"

Halley tugged on his elbow. "Let's go inside," she said.

That left Hector and Rory standing outside.

She looked at the door, her arms crossed under her chest and chewed on her bottom lip. "What are the wonderful things you've been telling your parents about?" she asked. He noticed the worried tension the laced her words.

Hector leaned back on the porch railings, admiring how she looked in the sunlight. Her hair reminded him of fire, and the color of the Muggle dress matched her eyes. "I told them that there was this amazingly frustrating witch in my class that I became friends with, and I haven't been able to get her out of my mind since. "

Rory's fingers squeezed his and she smiled.

"Come on." Hector leaned over to give her a soft kiss. "They're all waiting for us inside."

"They can wait a bit longer," Rory muttered against his mouth. He felt her hands curled in his hair, and she kissed him again. "Love you."

"I love you, too."

The kitchen was bustling with many people and the mouthwatering smell of freshly-made food. Hector saw his dad being cornered by Mr Weasley, obviously in an animated discussion about aeroplanes ("You say those are the forces that can make them fly?  _Brilliant_. I wonder with the fusion of certain charms…"). Various Weasley siblings were sitting at the table, plates full of food and were loudly giving suggestions to Charlotte who was part of the team that was rebuilding Hogwarts ("We need a secret passage that can lead someone to—" "Beatrice, stop telling me to build secret tunnels." "I'm pretty sure that tunnel already exists." "How do you keep knowing these things, Georgia?  _How?!")._  His mum sat by them, more worried by the conversation than bemused ("What is in the forest? I don't remember Hector mentioning any of this!"). Hector felt a second of pure fear at seeing Andromeda, almost mistaking her for her dead sister again, but Bellatrix would never be seen laughing with Mrs Weasley.

Hector sat down and began piling his plate. Dear Merlin, he had missed Mrs Weasley's cooking. His mouth immediately began to water at seeing brisket in front of him.

"You would think you haven't eaten in weeks," said Rory with a laugh.

"Hypocrite," he said, seeing the potatoes that threatened to fall off her plate. He gave her a slice of the brisket before placing one for himself. "We had to survive a year on our own horrible concoctions and mushrooms. I would dream about your mother's cooking those nights."

"I'm glad that you think so highly of my work, dear," Mrs Weasley said. She smiled warmly and went back to talking to Andromeda.

"This one only wants my attention," Halley grumbled as Teddy cooed her arms, squirming and grabbing onto her with his pudgy fingers. His skin was dusky, spotting freckles and brilliant green eyes with dark red hair. "I need to eat.Want to hold him?" she asked. Without waiting for an answer, she dumped the baby in Hector's arms and went to go sit next to Gid.

"Uh, hello?" said Hector. He held Teddy at an arm's reach, still apprehensive at what he was capable of. He had no previous experiences with babies before Teddy's birth. Being an only child and having distant, older cousins, all that Hector knew were from the telly and books.

But holding an actual baby was terrifying. Teddy was so small and fragile, looking so innocent with his large eyes that Hector was afraid the slightest wrong would cause something horrible to happen.

His mum frowned briefly, her eyes turning from Halley to Gid, and then to Teddy. "Strange, I remember you mentioning the two of them dating, but not about the baby."

"Teddy is Halley's…" Hector started to say without thinking. He stopped and realized what Mum had meant. "Mum, no.He's her godson."

"But he looks so much like them?"

"And now he looks a lot like me." Hector showed her how Teddy's skin became darker, his hair curling and changing texture.

Rory leaned over to wipe the baby's face. Even darker freckles appeared on his skin where she touched him."Andromeda says she's been really impressed with his abilities. Now he's been changing his looks to match whoever he wants to hold him. It gets to be something of a mess when his hair turns red; we all have to take turns of holding him."

Teddy giggled and tried to stuff his fingers in Hector's open mouth.

"But are they dating?" Mum asked.

Halley laughed at something Gid said, her chair angled close to his.

Hector removed Teddy's fingers, now sadly knowing what the taste of baby food was like. He nudged Rory for an answer. Her letters would sometimes say things about the relationship, how they could often be found in the hammock together, talking for long hours. Or on one notable occasion, Rory had caught them in Halley's room, but claimed that nothing had happened.

"They're not," Rory answered. "Kind of. I think they're both confused."

"It's not like we would know what that feeling is like," Hector said dryly.

"Very well." Mum poured herself another cup of tea. "Now tell me about this job as an Auror. According to what Hector's been telling me, it sounds like an adventurous job."

Rory blushed heavily. "Oh, it's, uh, yeah. It is." She took a long draught of tea. "Can't be anything new compared to what we've been through over the years, yeah?"

"Think you'll be up against any Mountain Trolls?" Hector joked. He managed to balance Teddy in his lap, free to reach for Rory's hand. "Remember, it's Wing- _gar_ -dium Levi- _o_ -sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."

Rory laughed as his mum grew more confused. "I take it there's a joke in there somewhere?"

"It's what started it all for them," Halley piped up from the other side of the table. "They haven't stopped bickering since that lesson in Charms."

Rory shook her head. "Nah, it's earlier than that." She turned to Mum. "You see, Mrs Granger, Halley and I were happily eating sweets in our compartment when all of a sudden someone—" she jutted a thumb at Hector "—barged in and asked if we saw a toad. We said no and he came back later because he missed our charming presence very much."

Hector removed a stolen fork from Teddy's hands. "That's not how I remember it."

Rory propped a chin on her hand. "Hush, I'm telling this grand and wonderful story. As I was saying, he came in a second time and was about to see me preform a brilliant piece of magic—"

"Brilliant my arse," Georgia scoffed suddenly. "That spell was a dud and you were too thick to realize it."

"I'm telling the story here!" Rory said, raising her head. "And then he starts going on how he already read the books and practiced some spells to perfection, and Halley and I were feeling sick with worry by that point."

"You had dirt on your nose," Hector remembered, imagining his girlfriend as her younger self easily. He could still picture her in the large robes and the simple plait that went over one shoulder.

"I thought you were a nightmare."

"I thought you were being terribly rude."

Story forgotten, they stared into each other's eyes, lost until interrupted by Georgia's loud voice.

"Isn't that when ickle Gid saw Halley for the first time?" Her smile was faded, but had the same mischievous spark."You woulda thought he was hit over the head with a Beater's Bat by the way he was staring at her," she said in a conspiring whisper to Hector's dad. "Poor thing's been holding a torch since. See? He's blushing all the way to his ears now."

Gid let out a pained moan and dropped his head in his hands.

Halley patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, I thought you were adorable."


	15. In Teaspoons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not dead, just recovering from some surgeries and stressed from being back on campus. 
> 
> In the meantime, enjoy this unedited chapter!

Hector squinted in the dark. "Do you feel any maternal instincts?"

"Are you _joking?_ _"_ Rory snapped over Teddy's cries. She glared over her shoulder and handed him the baby. "Do you feel any paternal instincts?"

He sighed. At least he was thankful for the quick use of a Muffilato that was keeping everyone in the Burrow asleep until Teddy would hopefully calm down. Hector shot a quick glance at Halley, who was still fast asleep in her bed, just to make sure. He couldn't recall her being a deep sleeper. One would think with their godson staying over the night in their own room would… Earlier in the week, Mrs Weasley had noticed how exhausted Andromeda was getting, and had offered to let her grandson stay the night.

This was the result: everyone being conveniently being asleep except for them and the baby.

He wondered briefly if this was what parenthood felt like.

Teddy's cries grew louder. His hair was darker, and not in the adorable way that he used to mimic their appearances. His hair and even some of his skin was turning to blotchy shades of dark scarlet in his distress.

"What do I do?" he asked, petrified at the squirming bundle that refused to stop moving in his hands.

Rory crossed her arms under her chest. "Let me check to see what my bloody maternal instincts have to say."

Hector wanted to say that he was sorry, but the baby was very distracting. He tried to remember how Andromeda or Mrs Weasley had done before when Teddy was upset. Was he hungry? No, he'd been fed already. Did his nappy—dear Merlin, please don't let it be that—and the cautious whiff thankfully told him no. What else made babies cry? Hector's little experience in the matter was becoming more than frustrating.

"What do you want?" he said. In all honesty, he wanted to cry with Teddy. It felt like the right thing to do at the moment. His mind flashed back to the terribly awkward conversation that he had with his parents after recently visiting the Burrow.

_'_ _Just wait until you have children of your own_ _…'_

The urge to cry grew.

Rory's words made him snap out of the image of the small army of children that acted just like him, arrogance and all. "Have you tried holding him?"

 _Holding?_ Hector started spluttering. "What do you think I'm doing?"

"You're acting like he's a Blast-Ended Skewert. I think Mum does it more like this." His girlfriend made his arms move, bringing Teddy closer to his chest. "And next, I dunno? Sing? Rock him?" She scrunched her nose and shrugged.

"Well, you have to know something," Hector said. "You have a younger brother!"

He saw her earlier ire come back, her freckled cheeks turning pink with annoyance. "Yeah, younger by a year! If anyone knows what to do, then it'll be Mum or his happily sleeping godmother over there."

They both looked over at Halley. 'Happily' wasn't a word that he would have used, but she was fast asleep in Beatrice's old bed, seemingly unaware that her two best friends were bickering near cot next to her. Frowning in her sleep, Halley rolled over so that her back was facing them.

"She sleeps like the…" Rory stopped herself from finishing the phrase. Her lips tightened. "Forget I said that." But Hector knew that she had her eyes trained on Halley's breathing to be sure.

He knew what Rory was feeling, even as he shifted Teddy's weight in his arms and awkwardly patted the baby's back. Teddy's crying grew slightly softer. It was too easy to remember the cold, dreadful sensation of not being able to find her, and then Voldemort revealing… She had been dead. One of his best friends had been dead, and there had been nothing he and Rory could've had done to stop her from entering the forest. No, Halley was too determined, too noble and self-sacrificing for it to have had gone any other way.

He understood what Gid meant by calling her a 'noble prat'.

As if reading his thoughts, Rory said. "Some friends we are for letting her do that. She's not allowed to do that to us ever again." There was a pause. Do you think she's okay?"

"Rory—"

"I know, I know." She waved a hand in the air. "But she was—and now she's—you know what I mean!"

"I think it's possibly considered rude to discuss someone's death by their bedside."

"Well, maybe it's also rude to let your best friend walk to her death!"

They looked at each other. Hector saw Rory's exhausted face, her blue eyes shiny with some tears.

"She's not dead," he told her. "In several hours, she'll be awake and having breakfast with the rest of us. You know that."

Rory took Teddy from his arms (and he quieted down much more with her than he had with Hector), and buried her nose in the fine scarlet-turning-brown hair as she hugged the baby. "I don't want to lose another sister."

Careful of Teddy, Hector moved to hug her. He wrapped his arms around her, his thumb moving over the patterns of flowers on her shoulder that her nightgown had. "I'm still scared, too," he admitted in a soft murmur, but Rory was crying. It wasn't soft like what he was expecting, but full of ragged breathing.

"I—she—"

"I know." Hector kissed the space between her eyes. Focusing on her meant that he could ignore the same miserable feelings that he was also experiencing. He took Teddy, who had been happily snuggled between them, and placed him back in his cot. He hugged his girlfriend again, her hands holding onto him by his robe. "And I know it's late, but I'm sorry for saying that you have the emotional range of a teaspoon."

Rory's crying was broken up by her jagged laughter. "I guess I have my moments when I have a bloody tablespoon instead." She covered her face with her hands taking deep breaths to compose herself. "Okay, you can be the perfect boyfriend later. Go ahead and cry, too."

Hector appreciated this and was about to let his own crying start, but Halley didn't.

"I can't hear a single effing word that either of you two are saying," she whispered darkly. She sat up in her bed, scowling at them. "But I'm clearly not dead, and would appreciate having this room back."

 


	16. Crying Sanctuary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to clear out old ghosts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *does jazz hands* 
> 
> not dead!

There was something still off-putting about Grimmauld Place in the daytime.

Warm sunlight struggled to streak through the grime that covered the windows, as a heavy layer of dust covered almost every room. The sleeping bags and supplies that Rory, Halley, and Hector had left there nearly a year ago were thrown all over the place, probably due to the Ministry and Death Eaters searching the house for hints about their whereabouts. All around was the heavy feeling of place being locked away for a time, the emptiness and darkness almost becoming a real thing in the old house full of nightmares.

But the most frustrating fact wasn't that Kreacher had hid away at Andromeda's house during this, or that they were all going to have to create a detailed inventory about what was missing and broken, it was that despite everything,  _that portrait of Walburga Black was still there._

The painting wasn't happy to see them.

_"_ _A TRAITOR TO YOUR OWN KIND. YOU ARE NO TRUE DAUGHTER OF BLACK—"_

Andromeda did a lazy flick of her wand, and a gag immediately appeared around Walburga's mouth. "Hullo, Auntie," she said sweetly.

Walburga struggled against the magic, but her eyes bulged with hate.

Rory whistled. "The inbreeding really shows now. Hey, doesn't Umbridge make the same look of utter disdain?"

"Thanks for the nightmares," said Halley, shuddering. Gid made a gagging sound.

Hector rolled his eyes and went straight to the library.

Halley had to suppress a surprising laugh. "Good thing we don't have to worry about the library. Do you want us to do anything specific?" she asked Andromeda. It had been Halley's idea to confront and see what the Death Eaters had done to Sirius' house, but seeing how Andromeda was also a disappointment to the Black family, it felt like a good idea to see if she also wanted to come with them.

"Cleaning would perhaps be a good idea." Her grey eyes were far away in thought. She was probably starting to get lost in the memories of visiting Grimmauld Place when she was younger. "Maybe we could wait to see if we have more volunteers…" She took a long look around the parlor. "Some light cleaning would be good, but this is  _your_  house."

"I don't want it," Halley said. "Sirius wasn't happy here."

Rory was busy inspecting the dusty photographs that were on the walls with her wand. "You don't have to live here, you prat. Who says you can't turn it into a house full of hippogriffs and unicorns?"

"I can't really see a unicorn living here," said Gid.

"It wouldn't hurt to make this place a little livable," Halley slowly decided. But she was also liking the idea of having magical creatures set free in the Noble and Ancient House of Black. Some petty revenge after what Sirius, Andromeda, Regulus and others had suffered from that family wouldn't be that bad of an idea…

Andromeda smiled softly at her, but her words were full of bitterness that she had been keeping inside of her."Whatever choice you make, make sure it's something that'll make my relatives turn over in their graves."

Later and not much to Halley's surprise, Rory went to go help Hector in the library. Halley figured that the two would be off snogging, but someone had to also make sure that they could bring Hector back from all of those books.

Kreacher had been grudgingly summoned, and was on the lower floors with Andromeda, already creating a long list that was giving everyone a headache. This all left Halley and Gid to explore the upper levels, the ones that Halley had vague memories of the Order members talking about during her Fifth Year.

"Were you ever up here much?" she asked as the lights were magically lit in the long corridor. The light was weak, distorting her view of the garish patterns that were on the peeling wallpaper.

Gid raised his wand for extra light. "Nah, Mum always shooed us away. I can't remember if Sirius was fond of coming up here either."

Halley couldn't blame them. Maybe it was a residue of the old magic and memories, but there was something deeply wrong about how the shadows moved across the walls, almost like more monsters were hiding in them.

She felt a pang of misery in her heart at the thought of Sirius living here as a child. It was making the cupboard under the stairs much more livable in comparison.

The imposing wooden doors were magically locked, but Halley knew some advanced spells from looking through the books that Kingsley had given her about her Auror training. No simple  _Alohomora_ could do it; not wit the paranoia and abuse that the Blacks had cultivated their lives in.

"You know what this place reminds me of?" Gid asked as the door swung open. "That story Mum used to read too Rory and I— _The Warlock's Hairy Heart."_

"Is it a happy story about a werewolf finding true love?"

"Less with love," he said, "and more about obsession and dark magic."

Halley then swore to tell any future children of hers happy bedtime stories. "I'm glad I'm not familiar with that one." With a sharp twist of her wand, the room was lit to show an abandoned bedroom.

The four-poster bed was a throwback to Hogwarts, but the frame appeared more ancient, and had designs carved into the back wood. The heavy curtains blocked any sunlight from the few windows, and the depressing floral pattern on the walls with the stifling heat only gave everything a sadder mood. Heavy sheets were pulled over more old furniture, and time had obscured more ideas of what the original occupant might have had been like.

"This is so not fair," said Gid. He had his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at a door that was inside the room."They had their own bathroom!"

"Tragic," Halley said, more interested about what was in the glass vials on the person's armoire.

"How come it's the bigoted and bloody evil families that have the better houses?" he complained from inside the bathroom. "Their bath is just like the one in the prefect's bathroom!"

She poked her head inside to see for herself. "Yeah, but it's smaller. Still won't be any easier with dragging it back to the Burrow."

Gid smiled. "I'm sure Mum wouldn't mind another bath in the house."

"The Burrow has always been a much better house," Halley continued. "Less emphasis on creepy traditions and lurking monsters."

"One bathroom," he told her. "There are sometimes more than nine people in that house, and we all have to fight over  _one_  bathroom."

"Then do you want me to tell your mum that you'll be living here for the rest of the summer?"

Gid quickly looked over the bathroom and the attached bedroom. "If the original owners weren't bigoted evildoers, then that would be a very tempting offer. Although…" He turned his gaze toward her, a full smile on his face. "How revolted do you think they're feeling right now that a pureblood and a muggle-born are in their special library?"

Halley laughed. "Sirius would be so proud of them."

They started their slow inventory of the room. Halley wasn't keen on keeping most of the objects that they had found, some being stoppered vials that might be dark blood, or sinister silvery jewelry that they both refused to touch with their bare hands. After how their year had gone, Halley was getting very tired of seeing cursed objects. There was also a diary that was bound in a lovely leather cover that age had barely touched.

Neither of them were even willing to go near it.

In fact, it was the first of several things that Gid burned. The rest were nauseating papers on the proper treatments for 'mudbloods and half-breed and similar ilk'.

"I hope no children ever get raised here," he said, burning another article. Lingering smoke curled in the hot air. He wiped at the sweat on his forehead with the corner of his shirt.

"Yeah." Halley turned away and fumbled to pull the curtains open, hoping that the windows could un-hatch somehow.Instead there were none, and there was a carving of the Black family motto in the frame. "Have to love the fanatics and their decoration choices."

"Speaking of which, do you have any idea of what you want to do with the House-Elf heads downstairs?" he asked.

Halley opened her mouth to say that it would be Hector's problem, but she made the mistake of looking at Gid, and how the muggle shirt was sticking to him with sweat. Instead of thinking how long they've been up in the room; her mind was more interested in a reoccurring daydream about them in the pond on the Burrow's property…

Nervously, she forced herself out of the daydream, and she ran her fingers through her hair. "I, uh. Um."

"And I don't know about you, but what about those snakes that are everywhere? I swear those things  _look_  at me…"

"Mhm," said Halley, now looking at anywhere but him. She crossed the room and yanked at the corner of one of the giant sheets that covered another piece of furniture—and dust went everywhere. "Merlin, I wonder what's in here?" she said loudly.

It was a trunk that appeared slightly more modern than the rest of what they had found so far. The latch was simple to break, and inside were some lovely robes that were fitted for witches. After the blood and cursed jewelry, she was disappointed.

Gid held one of the robes up. It was made out of a slinky cloth, all black with pearls in the bodice to make it more elegant. He held it against Halley.

"No," she said.

"The last nice outfit I saw you in was some awful pink thing, and the next one after that was all bloodied and torn," he argued, bringing up the time she wore the frilly dress robes at Beatrice and Fabris' wedding, and then covered in blood and grime after the battle. "You can humor me."

She struck her tongue out. "Over my twice-dead body." She gave the robes a quick and appreciative look, and stuffed it back inside the trunk. "They're probably cursed," she added, shutting the trunk close.

"Shame. Pearls would look lovely on you."

"And why would you want to se me in some stuffy dress robes?" Blushing, Halley sat on the trunk's flat lid. "It's not like we have any upcoming occasions to see me dressed up."

Gid joined her. "It always feels like I've missed a opportunity whenever I saw you in dress robes," he admitted almost shyly, his hand covering hers. The touch was electric, and his freckled skin turned to a dark shade of red. "All those times that I've never gotten to dance with you."

Halley's heart leapt to her throat. It was more than just Slughorn's parties and celebrations in the Common Room, but it was the peaceful moments at the wedding, and her heart aching to have one last chance with him before everything would go to hell. In some perfect world with no Voldemort, she wondered, they would have had years of being together. Maybe they were full of laughter and love and unknown possibilities.

But they never had that sort of time.

 _Love_ , Halley silently repeated. Their eyes met, and she tried not to think about all those times in the tent where she had wanted so desperately for him to be with her. She tried not to think about the feel of his body next to hers in a bed, or their fingers intertwined as they swung in the hammock together. She was trying not to think about a million of other things that she was often full of when near him.

She knew reasonably that they now had ages to sort their feelings out, they had all the time in the world because the war was over.

But there was also the intense way his brown eyes were staring at her, her stroking the back of his hand and how close their faces were getting.

It all itched under Halley's skin. A not completely unfamiliar hunger unfurled in her chest, making her hyperaware of how Gid's hand cupped the side of her face, the pad of his thumb drawing circles over her cheekbone, his fingers twitching in her loose, tangled mess of hair.

"I'll stop, if you want." Gid's eyes moved over her face, searching for any answer that would prevent him from moving forward.

He was here and their future was uncertain. So many things were uncertain, but Halley wanted this. She wanted him.She wanted them.

"Is it this kind of dancing?" she murmured.

Not even a heartbeat passed when Halley then had her lips on his, furiously kissing him like how she wanted for nearly a year. He smelled of sweat and tasted of dust, but made her toes curl all the same. The pent-up desire broke free, yanking him closer by his shirt as his other arm went around her, their mouths struggling to stay together as she ended up in his lap with her knees clamping on either side of his hips. Her hands moved up to his soft hair as his skimmed down her ribs, his fingers digging into the indentations of her hips. A noise escaped from the back of his throat that sounded like her name.

And then she was on her back, and Gid was over her. Halley's glasses had gone somewhere, but she couldn't care less. The room was so hot, but someone might as well had let out a WWW firework in her veins. She felt his hand moving under her shirt, her own fingers struggling to undo the buttons of his own—and he suddenly became rigid over her when someone spoke.

"Master Black was conceived in this very room," Kreacher croaked. The aged House-Elf stood by the door and lowered his long nose at them, clutching the Locket in one long-fingered hand.

Rory had her eyes covered. "That was a fascinating fact, but is it safe to look?"


	17. This Too Shall Pass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What a feeling in my soul -  
> Love burns brighter than sunshine,  
> Brighter than sunshine.  
> Let the rain fall, I don't care.  
> I'm yours, and suddenly you're mine.  
> Suddenly, you're mine;  
> And it's brighter than sunshine.  
> \- Aqualung

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And after much consideration for the last six months, I think I'm going to call quits on this fic.
> 
> Various reasons: I'm burned out from my nightmarish sophomore year, inspiration is fleeting, not a lot of feedback, etc etc etc etc. While I still very much appreciate what feedback has been given to me in the forms of PMs and reviews, I don't think I can keep this going anymore. I've been writing this specific AU for ages, and I think now's a good time to take a step back. I think I'll also stop it with the multi-chaps, because it's obvious after a certain point that I'm just typing into a void.
> 
> Um, clarification-wise:
> 
> \- This chapter leaves on a happier note because screw the original plans. Hell, screw my timeline for the AU entirely.
> 
> \- This could be updated again in a possible future if the motivation does strike.
> 
> \- For reassurance and who knows what could happen, nothing will be deleted at this point on any site (here and FFN).
> 
> \- In addition to still taking short ficlet requests on my blog, I'll continue to do one-shots when I'm able to motivate myself to write better.
> 
> I'm tired of my writing and how it's not going as planned; I'm tired of having a million ideas stuck in my head that I don't feel capable of doing. I'm sorry that it sucks that this has to end this way.
> 
> Well, I now feel like a certified ass.

She started burning the letters when the moon was slipping away.

There were several of them carefully tucked away in her moleskin pouch. All of them had been written throughout her time with Roy and Hector as they were hunting for Horcruxes. Halley had forgotten about them.

That was until now.

The first letter was for Hagrid. She traced the last two words that were at the bottom of the page— _thank you_. Thank you for being the first person who had brought her into the Wizarding World. Thank you for the unwavering confidence and support. Thank you for the rocks cakes and tea. She cast the spell non-verbally, and fire made the parchment curl and wither under her wand. It was soon ashes on Beatrice's floor.

There were more, of course. Halley was still surprised that she had even found the time to write so many letters. The next was for Arthur and Molly (' _thank you for taking me in, despite all of the dangers that I'd brought to your family'_ ), McGonagall  _('I hope one day you find another reckless First Year to play Quidditch'_ ), little Teddy _('I'm sorry for not being there to see you grow up'_ ), but when she came to the ones she wrote for Rory and Hector, she paused. Those two in particular had been done at what felt like their darkest parts while on the run.

Halley spared them another look, a quick read. She smiled to herself at the blunt advice she had given Rory  _('just kiss Hector already'_ ), but it vanished when she reached the end. The same words had been repeated in Hector's, a last wish to the both of them to not name any future children after her.

She burned the two letters without another look out of fear. She continued.

Next were Priscilla  _('your family will forgive you'),_ Nellie _('you are still one of the bravest people that I have ever known'),_ Luce _('make sure you find a Crumple Horned Snorkack'),_ Felicity and Georgia  _('whatever happens, I want you two to continue making people laugh'),_ Tonks _(you're going to be a fantastic mother'),_ and—it broke her heart to read the letter—Remus _('you are not a monster, you are not alone, you are my family')._ There were various other letters, miscellaneous information about where and who her belongings should go to, another detailed list for her finances, instructions for a grave, a message for the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army, and even a missive for the Dursleys that had been done out of gleeful spite. She thankfully no longer had a use for these letters now that she was among the living.

 _It's as if you knew,_  whispered a soft voice in the back of Halley's mind,  _that you wouldn't be making out of this war alive._ For a brief moment, she was back in the forest. Everything was quiet around her, and Tom Riddle was raising his wand…

 _But I did!_  She argued back,  _I survived and won. I'm still alive!_

She picked up the last letter. Instead of crouching, she sat down on the floor, her back against her opened school trunk. The small piles of ashes and parchment remains had been Vanished.

Halley opened the letter. Without her glasses and in the fading moonlight, she was unable to focus on reading what she had written. Random passages and words would stand out clearly before her tears made them blurry again.

 _I'm sorry,_  she had started in one section.  _I'm sorry for leaving, I'm sorry that I have ruined all chances of a future with you…_ The words became illegible. They jumped and leaped at her, bringing back her raw pain.  _There's a part of me that wants to make through this kicking and screaming, but I think I'm using up all my chances of surviving this…I want to wake up next to you one day…_   _it scares me to think that there's a good chance that I'm falling in love with you. I think I have been for years…_

She traced the final few sentences with her wand, gold and red sparks scattered over the parchment.

_I wish we had more time together. I wish for so many things that are never going to happen, not when I have this scar and prophecy._

_I love you, Gideon, and I'm sorry that this had to happen._

Eyes open and gaze hard, Halley slashed at the letter. She held onto the parchment as it burned, the fire hot and blistering her skin. She let the ashes fall to the floor.

After some time later, Halley stood back up. She left the bedroom and quietly made her way up the stairs.

She then came to his door and silently entered, not accidentally waking him until she made her way under the covers.

"What's wrong?" Gid muttered sleepily. He started to sit up.

Halley pushed him back down into bed. "Nothing," she answered, meaning it. "Nothing is wrong." She studied his face one last time before she let her head fall on his chest. She felt his arms circle around her, his lips ghosting over the top of her head. He relaxed around her, and when he drifted back to sleep, Halley whispered the words into his skin, hoping that they would reach him in dreams.

Eventually, she closed her eyes and felt the early sun's warmth fall over her through the window.

She allowed herself to dream, knowing that she had a future in front of her.

 


End file.
